The association highlighted risks from overseas manufacturing and urged a Senate committee to pass bills aimed at preventing shortages of devices and drugs.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is urging a Senate committee to pass legislation designed to strengthen the supply chains for medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In a statement of record provided to the Senate Special Committee on Aging for an Oct 8 hearing, the AHA detailed vulnerabilities stemming from a reliance on imported and overseas-manufactured products.
The association noted that many medical devices are manufactured overseas, and a large number of pharmaceutical products are imported. “The low-margin nature of these products makes them difficult to produce within the US,” the AHA writes. “At the same time, disruption in the availability of these devices would curtail hospitals’ ability to perform life-saving surgeries and keep patients safe from contagion, as well as hinder providers’ ability to effectively diagnose, monitor, and treat patients.”
The AHA notes in the statement of record that health care providers in the US are dependent on imported medical devices. “According to one estimate nearly 70% of medical devices marketed in the US are manufactured exclusively overseas. In 2024 alone, the US imported over $75 billion in medical devices and supplies, according to AHA analysis of Census Bureau data,” the AHA writes.
To address these issues, the AHA encouraged the committee to pass specific legislation. The association supports the reintroduction of the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply Act (S. 1784), a bill that would direct the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Defense to create a plan for mapping the entire US medical supply chain.
“Strengthening supply chains for essential pharmaceutical and other medical products is necessary, and the AHA recognizes the value of reducing reliance on international sources,” AHA writes in the statement of record. “Achieving this goal will require significant time and resources, given the complexity of medical and pharmaceutical supply chains. Additionally, the importance of supply chain diversity as a means of protecting patient safety should not be underestimated.”
ID 88421749 © Wayback12 | Dreamstime.com
