Special Edition 6 America’s Dangerous Over reliance on China for Pharmaceuticals Reaches Tipping Point

So many vulnerabilities become more visible and are exacerbated during a crisis, like the coronavirus pandemic. In America, we’ve seen how quickly economic prosperity can be undone and inequities in the system revealed. We also see how lack of attention to public health, except in a crisis, makes the world’s most capable nation look wholly unprepared. One of the most glaring reveals is how America has ceded to China its drug making capabilities. You can well imagine shortages looming for staples like penicillin and antibiotics as we have outsourced those drugs to, what at best can be described as, an economic competitor. At worst, a malign one which is turning into an adversary. Rosemary Gibson, of The Hastings Center, is the thought leader in this country, who spent years uncovering this little known story for her book “China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China’. She sounds the alarm in this podcast so that you know what a shortcoming it is to let unfair trade practices impinge on the healthcare needs of our citizens. And how we must restore drug manufacturing capabilities to our shores–and fast. It’s a matter of quantity and quality and demands your attention. Few issues rise to the level of life or death as this one does.

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