Webinar - China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America's Dependence on China for Medicine

Millions of Americans are taking prescription drugs made in China and don't know it--and pharmaceutical companies are not eager to tell them. Several decades ago, penicillin, vitamin C, and many other prescription and over-the-counter products were manufactured in the United States. But with the rise of globalization, many drugs are made in China and sold in the United States. China's biggest impact on the US drug supply is making essential ingredients for thousands of medicines found in American homes and used in hospital intensive care units and operating rooms. The speaker will argue that there are at least two major problems with this scenario. First, it is inherently risky for the United States to become dependent on any one country as a source for vital medicines, especially given the uncertainties of geopolitics. Second, lapses in safety standards and quality control in Chinese manufacturing are a risk. This Talk will examine the implications of our reliance on China on the quality and availability of vital medicines.