Biden backs Cold-War measures to shore-up medical supply chains

In a recent strategy to combat rising inflation and the cost of living crisis, President Joe Biden has invoked a Cold War-era act to increase investment in a selection of medicines and supplies. 

“We know that prices are still too high for too many things, that times are still too tough for too many families,” Biden stated. “But we’ve made progress."

With the measures introduced with the Inflation Reduction Act and the price capping negotiations, efforts have been made by the US government to improve the situation for patients, and this latest ruling hopes to enable further access to medicine and medical supplies. 

This measure, the Defence Production Act, should help to combat issues from disrupted supply chains and drug price increases. The administration includes this act in an announcement of 30 measures designed to increase access to medicine. 

The act, backed by President Biden authorises the Department of Health and Human Services to use powers to enable investments in essential medicines. The White House also stated that areas of investment also include "medical countermeasures," encompassing supplies that diagnose, prevent, and treat diseases related to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks or incidents.

There are also plans in place to improve the traceability and monitoring of pharmaceutical and industrial supply chains, to measure data, predict, and counter any disruptions that may occur, leading to problems further down the value chain that ultimately impacts patients. One such advancement from the Commerce Department is the development of novel tools and technology to assess potential risks to the supply chain, which they plan to use in conjunction with the Energy Department to monitor the renewable energy resource supply chain. 

As the presidential campaigns are gearing up for the next election, polling surveys show that inflation and the economic climate are considered a high concern for the US population, and something for the candidates and parties to consider ahead of the election. 

Supply chains have recovered markedly since the COVID-19 pandemic and from politically-driven disruptions, but there is still much work to be done to increase the security and reliability of supply chains and ensure that medical supplies can be accessed by the people in need. 

Source: Reuters. Biden invokes Cold War-era measure to boost medical supplies. [Date Accessed 28/11/2023] www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-invoke-cold-war-era-law-boost-medical-supplies-2023-11-27/