Posted on 10/20/2025 7:46:18 PM PDT by chickenlips
Amoxicillin might strike you as a pretty standard and easy-to-obtain antibiotic—and it is, because of China. An analysis published Wednesday revealed that nearly 700 US medicines contain at least one chemical sourced exclusively from China. The New York Times explains that drug production is a multistep process that begins with the creation of foundational chemicals (Key Starting Materials, or KSMs, per the study), which are then used to make active ingredients, which are then combined to make the ultimate drug. The study, conducted by the nonprofit US Pharmacopeia, explains that the KSM part is the China-heavy one.
The chemicals in question aren't produced domestically because doing so is "dirty," per the Times; China has both cheaper labor and far less stringent environmental restrictions. That means essential chemicals for, yes, amoxicillin, as well as generic drugs for heart conditions, cancer, HIV, and even everyday allergy relief are often only available from Chinese suppliers.
The study delves deeper into the amoxicillin example, noting that on the surface, the US supply looks diversified: Manufacturers in India, China, Austria, Spain, Italy, Singapore, Canada, Jordan, Slovenia, Austria, and the US have a hand in the drug production, but "its synthesis ultimately depends on four KSMs—each produced almost entirely in China." One of those four is key to other antibiotics including Ampicillin, Dicloxacillin, Nafcillin, Oxacillin, and Piperacillin. "This case shows that diverse ... manufacturing offers little protection when all depend on the same upstream source."
(Excerpt) Read more at newser.com ...
Of course this is just medications, think about the medical devices and other medical supplies that we can't adequately source without China.
We can thank our gutless politicians allowing this vulnerability to our healthcare system and national security.
That was then.
Thank Clinton. He started the exodus of drug companies from Puerto Rico to China and India.
According to Wikipedia: "Amoxicillin, a widely used antibiotic, was developed in the early 1970s by scientists at Beecham Research Laboratories, which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline."
So how did China get the corner on this?
Can’t we make it AGAIN?
They didn’t allow it. They encouraged it, they celebrated it, they subsidized corporations to move the factories, they gave China permanent most favored nation status. Wall Street and their politicians gorged on profits.
They lectured us on how sending all our production to China is actually “capitalism” and “free trade” and called us racists and bigots. They told us that when enriched, China would use the money to become an enlightened friend of America. They would never seek a military buildup.
It was more important for Sniffy and Druggie to get their cash flow from Ukraine - rather than secure important materials for the USA.
this is why we: USA, china and India, know that china and India have us by the short hairs, tariffs or not. They control us in many ways. There should be some sort of mandate that American companies make all the drugs we take. period.
Probably bribing the companies.
US pharmaceutical companies could solve the problem quickly if they want to, but they’re only producing drugs that bring in a lot of money. Money is all they care about, as opposed to people who need cheaply produced meds.
“The export share of antibiotic ingredients from China increased from 9.0% in 2002 to 44.5% in 2021. China is the largest exporter of antibiotic ingredients (with a strong comparative advantage). Additionally, the export share of antibiotic medicines increased from 0.5% in 2002 to 6.5% in 2021, making it the 7th largest exporter of antibiotic medicines (though with a comparative disadvantage). The proportion of antibiotic medicines in China’s exports is gradually increasing, though the country’s antibiotic industry is expected to remain in the upstream-to-midstream segments of the global supply chain in the short term. China’s export market for antibiotic medicines is fragmented, focusing on developing countries, though European (17.9% in 2021) and North American markets (13.1% in 2021) are increasing in importance. China’s weight in global antibiotic exports, particularly of antibiotic ingredients, creates dependencies for countries reliant on China, and for Chinese companies reliant on certain overseas markets.”
Read more: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11656612/
Only if we keep Democrats and their Greenies out of the EPA.
pharmaceutical manufacturing contributes significantly to environmental pollution, releasing active pharmaceutical ingredients into water bodies and soil, which can harm ecosystems and promote antibiotic resistance. This pollution often goes unregulated, leading to serious health and environmental concerns.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653523019148
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https://www.techtarget.com/pharmalifesciences/feature/Understanding-the-environmental-impact-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry
A friend of mine has what I think is a potential solution. He sees tariffs as a stick, but believes a carrot is also needed.
His proposal is to extend patents on medications if they are made entirely in the US and if most favored nation pricing is practiced for US patients. The extension could be just adjusting the patent so that it’s lifespan begins at the date of FDA approval instead of from the time of filing for a patent. Adding the time that drug is in development and approval could be a significant incentive.
Generic drugs are a mixed bag. They allow other countries to squeeze out US manufacturers on cost, but we have less ability to monitor the safety of the manufacturing and the quality of the product. Of course offering better patent terms and tax incentives might bring it back even faster.
The article says we have environmental restrictions.
Time to fix that. It never should have happened in the first place.
” There should be some sort of mandate that American companies make all the drugs we take.”
I would not go near that far, but I would say that a certain percentage must be made in America using domestically sourced product, and that percentage will increase on some kind of schedule kind of like they did with CAFE standards.
Just excuses……..blah, blah, blah.
People die because of withholding antibiotics under the auspices of antibiotic resistance.
Plus it brings in more money for the HMOs if people end up with pneumonia before their finally given Augmentin.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTRICTIONS???? Ya gotta be kidding me...
Pills can probably be safely stored for many years under the right conditions.
“The Essential Medicines List (EML) was updated in September 2025 to its 24th edition. The list contains recommendations for 523 medications.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines
Smart people found alternate sources for common antibiotics for which no prescription was required.
It’s too bad that company is gone now.
L
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