The White House announced last week a suite of new initiatives aimed at bolstering domestic biomanufacturing capabilities within the United States. A key component of this strategy is the establishment of the “Bio-5” Biopharmaceutical Coalition, which brings together the U.S., EU, India, Japan, and South Korea. The coalition’s primary objective is to fortify the resilience of the biopharmaceutical supply chain, with an inaugural meeting taking place during the Bio International Convention 2024 in San Diego in early June.
The BIO convention meeting was bifurcated into two segments: one for government officials and another combining government with business leaders. The discussions were centered on pinpointing vulnerabilities in the biopharmaceutical supply chain and exploring advanced manufacturing technologies and other initiatives to address these weaknesses. Attendees also deliberated on the institutional and technical impediments to supply-chain diversification and how to surmount them, including the creation of a ‘Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Map’ to identify vulnerabilities and enhance global API supply chains.
The White House’s statement emphasizes a strategic shift to reduce reliance on China-based companies for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). It highlights the coalition’s intent to seek opportunities for governments and the private sector to collaborate more closely on policies, regulations, R&D, and other areas to fortify this critical industry.
Additionally, the statement outlines over USD 3.5 billion in investments and related actions taken to enhance U.S. biomanufacturing capacity. This follows an executive order from President Biden in September 2022 that prioritized the sector.- Flcube.com
