U.S. Senator Ted Budd from North Carolina has joined Senators Gary Peters, Marsha Blackburn, and Tim Kaine in reintroducing the bipartisan Rolling Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Drug (RAPID) Reserve Act. The legislation aims to enhance supply chain resilience for critical generic drugs by increasing supply reserves and domestic production capacity through federal contracts.
The RAPID Reserve Act is designed to address drug shortages, improve preparedness, and reduce national security risks associated with reliance on foreign sources for essential medications. Senator Budd stated, “For far too long, America has faced a drug shortage that not only threatens patients’ health but poses a national security risk by forcing us to rely on Communist China’s supply chains for essential medications.”
Senator Peters emphasized the importance of reliable access to medications: “Every American should be able to get the medicine they need when they need it. Increasing domestic and reliable manufacturing capacity for our critical, lifesaving medications is essential to addressing drug shortages that can compromise patient care.”
The proposed act directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award contracts to quality manufacturers based in the United States or member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These contracts would help maintain reserves of critical medications while building capacity for increased production during emergencies.
Additionally, Senators Budd, Peters, Blackburn, and Kaine have requested that the Government Accountability Office examine underutilized domestic manufacturing capacity and federal efforts toward advanced manufacturing capabilities.
The RAPID Reserve Act has received support from several organizations including the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), and Phlow.
