Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging have sent a letter to the chief executive officers of CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. The senators requested updates on efforts by these companies to protect the integrity of the U.S. drug supply chain and ensure patient safety. They also acknowledged CVS and Walgreens for sharing plans to implement country-of-origin labeling for foreign-manufactured drugs following a previous inquiry from November 2025.
The committee's letter is part of ongoing actions aimed at strengthening the U.S. drug supply chain. These actions include prior correspondence with government officials such as Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., pharmaceutical distributors, and group purchasing organizations. The committee has also released an investigative report highlighting concerns about reliance on foreign-made generic drugs.
In recent months, the Senate Aging Committee has held four hearings focused on issues like dependence on foreign generics, domestic manufacturing solutions, showcasing U.S.-based production capabilities, and legislative proposals for greater transparency in drug labeling. On January 29, Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand introduced the CLEAR LABELS Act to require country-of-origin labeling for drugs sold in the United States.
The letter states: "Thank you for your recent response to our inquiry regarding Walgreen Co., CVS Health, and Walmart Inc.’s approach to address vulnerabilities in foreign drug supply chains and the associated issues of unsafe foreign drugs entering our country. As chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, we are dedicated to ensuring that every American patient has access to safe, affordable, and effective pharmaceuticals. Delivering on this starts by ensuring we have transparency and accountability from foreign drug entities for American patients."
The senators highlighted their recent hearing titled "Truth in Labeling: Americans Deserve to Know Where Their Drugs Come From," which addressed concerns about transparency around generic drugs' origins and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). They wrote: "We applaud CVS and Walgreen Co. expressing their intentions to implement country-of-origin labeling in their responses to the committee, as pharmacies are often the final point of care with American patients."
The committee asked for further details about each company's protocols related to FDA import bans exemptions, implementation standards for country-of-origin labeling—including whether this will cover APIs—and how this information will be made available both online and in print formats.
They requested answers by March 15, 2026.
"Transparency in supply chains and product labeling is critical to ensuring a healthy market and to promoting quality products," they stated in closing.
The Senate Aging Committee is responsible for examining issues affecting older Americans nationwide—such as Social Security, Medicare, long-term care, retirement security—and regularly holds hearings while issuing reports relevant to these topics. The committee provides resources like a fraud hotline aimed at protecting older adults from financial exploitation.Rick Scott serves as chair while Kirsten Gillibrand acts as ranking member.Oversight includes federal programs serving aging Americans, with offices located in both Dirksen (majority) and Hart (minority) Senate Office Buildings.
