Health Care — AARP endorses Trump’s drug supply chain executive order

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  AARP endorses Trump's drug supply chain executive order  The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is backing the Trump administration's efforts to bolster the United States's domestic pharmaceutical supplies.   © Alex Brandon, Associated Press Earlier this month, President Trump ordered the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)—an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to emergency preparedness—to come up with a list of 26 drugs that are "especially critical" for the country's health and security interests.     The order also calls for an accounting of existing and available funds that can be spent on preparing and filling the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve with six months' worth of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for those critical drugs.     AARP said it supported the president's initiative in a letter to ASPR's principal deputy assistant secretary John Know and the agency's deputy assistant secretary Steven Adams.     "AARP supports the administration's efforts, which will help build supply chain resiliency and ensure that the U.S. has access to a robust supply of critical APIs," the letter reads. "AARP has long believed that every person should have access to affordable and reliable prescription drugs that keep them healthy, and we view this action as part of a broader strategy needed to achieve that goal."     To support the goals of Trump's executive order, AARP recommended not only stockpiling API but also preemptively identifying entities that can create finished products when needed. They also advised identifying areas where federal regulatory updates may be needed to better utilize stockpiled API.    Concerns over the delicate nature of the U.S. drug supply chain have existed for years but were brought into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Trump has previously expressed support for drug companies ramping up domestic production to strengthen national security, threatening to impose tariffs earlier this month to achieve this. 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