WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining bipartisan legislation to ensure the United States is well positioned to mitigate potential prescription drug shortages and respond to future health emergencies. More specifically, the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act would improve federal coordination and visibility for essential medicine supply chains by proactively identifying and addressing supply chain shortfalls or weaknesses.

The bipartisan MAPS Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with relevant agencies and the private sector, to regularly update, maintain, and publish a list of essential medicines. Using the Essential Medicines List, the federal government would be required to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of these supply chains to assess the key ingredients needed to manufacture essential medicines, overreliance on high-risk foreign sources, sole-sourced products, current domestic manufacturing capabilities, cybersecurity threats, and any other gaps that may reduce the federal government’s ability to identify health and national security risks related to our essential medicine supply chains.

“As we work to protect our communities from a future public health emergency, researching and understanding the prescription drug supply chain is a simple way to help Americans stay healthy and safe – since access to medication is such a critical component to modern care,” said Senator King. “The bipartisan Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act would help prevent prescription drug shortages, ensure that our country is reducing its dependence on foreign adversaries for essential medicines, while also protecting the American public from the effects of a future pandemic. I am grateful to my colleagues in both parties for putting the safety and health of the American people first.”

In addition, HHS, through public-private partnerships, would be required to map all essential medicine supply chains – from the key ingredients needed to manufacture drug products to their distribution in hospitals and pharmacies – creating end-to-end visibility in these supply chains. The bill would also require the Department of Defense (DoD) to submit reports to Congress on drug products that rely on China for critical inputs and finished dose forms.

The bill is supported by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Angels for Change, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, United States Pharmacopeia, and CivicaRx. Below are statements in support of the bill.  

“ASHP strongly supports the MAPS Act. By requiring the Department of Health and Human services to coordinate with other agencies and the private sector to map the pharmaceutical supply chain, threats to the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain can be identified and addressed before they place patients at risk,” said Tom Kraus, Vice President of ASHP Government Relations. 

“ASCO applauds the introduction of the MAPS Act, which would provide needed tools to gain better visibility into the supply of critical prescription drugs in the United States,” said Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, Board Chair of the Association for Clinical Oncology. “We support efforts to recognize potential drug shortages earlier and to relay information to stakeholders to help them prepare for and mitigate possible supply challenges. The bipartisan work of Senators Peters, Ernst, Cotton, Kaine, Lankford and King, on this important legislation, advances these efforts.” 

"Angels for Change proudly supports the MAPS Act—a vital step toward ending drug shortages and protecting patients,” said Laura Bray, Founder and Chief Change Maker of Angels for Change. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen transparency and coordination across the entire drug supply chain, helping to detect and prevent disruptions before they impact care. Building the reliable supply chain patients deserve will require collaboration across government and industry. We applaud Senators Peters, Lankford, Ernst, Cotton, Kaine, King, and Scott for their leadership in prioritizing the safeguarding of Essential Medicines that will benefit all US patients." 

Joining King on this legislation are Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Rick Scott (R-FL).

Senator King has consistently worked to increase transparency of prescriptions drugs. Earlier this year, he introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize and streamline drug testing protocols for better patient outcomes. Last year, he also introduced bicameral legislation to prohibit direct-to-consumer drug advertising of pharmaceutical drugs in the first three years after the drug receives Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Additionally, Senator King has introduced legislation to prohibit pharmaceutical drug manufacturers from claiming tax deductions for consumer advertising expenses.

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