Instituting Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Imports Without Addressing the Fragile Supply Chain Risks Creating Generic Drug Shortages That Could Endanger the Lives of Cancer Patients

Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) submitted comments in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the Section 232 National Security Investigation of Imports of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Ingredients. In the letter, ACS CAN outlines concerns with instituting tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, especially for older generic sterile injectable (GSI) drugs which have been impacted by drug shortages for more than a decade. GSI drugs play a key role in cancer treatments, both as stand-alone treatments and in combination with newer drugs. Analyses have pointed to an unfavorable economic model for the production of GSIs as a key driver of past shortages, and tariffs are likely to worsen these long-standing issues. ACS CAN is urging the administration to avoid tariffs that are likely to endanger fragile supply chains and make drug shortages worse.

Read the letter outlining ACS CAN’s comments here.

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