This week, I draw your attention to the notice in the Newsletter regarding Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the issuance of a recent FDA Warning Letter stopping importation and recall of 39 different generic products manufactured at the Glenmark facility in India.
While this recall should have virtually no effect on the availability of drugs to veterinarians, it comes at the same time as the US administration’s establishment of substantial tariffs on pharmaceuticals made outside the US in an effort to shift overseas production of pharmaceutical products back to the United States, primarily for national security and balance of trade reasons.
There is no question that the US is vulnerable to shortages outside of its control due to the high volume of imported medicines, for both animals and humans. Some estimates are that over 90% of antibiotic APIs sold in the US are imported from China. It is not known how much of veterinary drugs are imported from China, but we feel 20-40% might be a good estimate.
Generic, non-patented, low-cost products often don’t support the high cost of establishing production in a US based site when lower cost sources can be found overseas. The threat of tariffs can certainly cause companies to plan production moves, but the time and cost associated with moving from off-shore to a US production site means this is a very long-term solution to an immediate problem. Look for trade deals soon between major exporters and the US.
Jim Kroman
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