U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have introduced an amendment to the 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The proposed measure is intended to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearer authority to prevent the importation of illicit weight loss drugs and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) from China and other foreign countries.
These products include unregulated versions of ingredients used in name-brand GLP-1 medicines. Many are manufactured in facilities in China that are not registered with the FDA. Such products can pose significant risks to consumers in the United States, including potentially fatal consequences.
Senator Budd stated: “The Chinese Communist Party has proven time and again that it is willing to exploit our supply chain and endanger American lives to advance its own interests. That includes flooding our country with counterfeit, unapproved weight-loss drugs made in unregulated facilities. It is critically important that the United States maintains the gold standard for safe, effective medicines and we must act decisively to protect American patients. I am glad to partner with Senator Heinrich on this important issue, and I look forward to working with Commissioner Makary and Secretary Kennedy to help ensure the FDA can shut the door on these dangerous products at our borders and hold bad actors accountable.”
Senator Heinrich added: “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from dangerous, counterfeit drugs entering our country. Too many of these unapproved weight-loss drugs are being produced in unregistered facilities in China with no oversight and no regard for safety. That’s why I’m introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Budd to ensure the FDA can crack down on these illicit imports and keep American consumers safe.”
According to a recent Federal Bureau of Investigation public service announcement, some counterfeit weight loss products contain high levels of impurities or unsafe substances packaged under misbranded or adulterated labels. The FDA may respond by refusing entry of such drugs or APIs into the U.S., sending warning letters to suppliers abroad, or starting civil enforcement actions.
This legislative effort comes after Representative Richard Hudson (R-N.C.-09) led a bipartisan letter urging FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to take immediate steps against illegal anti-obesity medications entering U.S. markets.
