Thomas Bollyky, Chloe Searchinger, and @prof-yadav.bsky.social discuss the United States’ growing dependence on foreign sources for critical medicines—and call on policymakers to diversify the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain:

Since 2020, I have frequently joined Tommy Tucker and WWL Radio's morning show to discuss pharmaceutical supply issues for their listeners in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. This morning, we talked about the Trump Administration’s pharmaceutical tariffs @cfr.org audacy.com/podcast/wwl-...

The United States’ growing dependence on foreign drugs puts national security at risk—but imposing high tariffs on essential generic medicines will not make the country safer, argue @prof-yadav.bsky.social and Thomas Bollyky.

The United States’ growing dependence on foreign drugs puts national security at risk—but imposing high tariffs on essential generic medicines will not make the country safer, argue @prof-yadav.bsky.social, Chloe Searchinger, and Thomas Bollyky.

Procuring #pandemic #countermeasures needs new skills, smarter contracts & higher risk tolerance. Demand is highly volatile, suppliers may be new, production incentives are weak, & often need #procurement before reg approval. Key themes I shared at the recent ADB symposium on pandemics. @cfr.org

On 11 July 2025, the Asian Development Bank will host a Symposium on Multilateral Financing for Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Manila. The symposium features a session on procurement for medical countermeasures. You can also join us via Zoom: lnkd.in/ei7zKtX6.

The US needs to address the lack of supply resilience for critical generic medicines. But it needs other tools of industrial policy (hint: not tariffs). @jaredshopkins.bsky.social @wsj.com www.wsj.com/health/pharm... Thanks for including my thoughts. #generic #pharma #supplychain #resilience

Amid #WHA78, the WHS session on “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmented World” sparked some key reflections for me. Grateful to @Ilona Kickbusch for thoughtful questions on trade, industrial policy, & global health. Hope it sparks a continued dialogue. 👇images copyright World Health Summit

If you are in Geneva at #WHA78 join us for this @worldhealthsummit.bsky.social #WHS side event "Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World." 📍 InterContinental Hotel - Ballroom A 🗓️ May 21, 2025 | 17:00 CEST 👉 Full program here: lnkd.in/dUbBEV8W @cfr.org

CFR Senior Fellow @prof-yadav.bsky.social analyzes how the White House's executive order to lower drug prices by invoking a most-favored-nation clause could have cascading effects on medicine access in low-income countries.

The U.S. executive order on most-favored-nation drug pricing could have cascading implications for global health agencies serving LMICs. It could undermine mechanisms that enable affordable access to essential medicines. - @prof-yadav.bsky.social

The new US Exec Order on pharma MFN pricing sticks to high-income countries (thankfully). But it risks reigniting broader MFN demands by MICs, jeopardizing low-tier prices critical for access in low-income countries. I unpack this in my latest ThinkGlobalHealth @cfr.org piece. (Link in next post) 👇

Creating a single price for pharmaceuticals (through MFN) is both inefficient and inequitable. There is sufficient and strong evidence for this. Also, an MFN clause hurts the poorest countries the most. Links to my review studies and past work on this are in the following posts.

Adding GLP-1s to the WHO-EML could transform access in LMICs. Challenging..but vital if we’re serious about accelerating access to breakthrough health tech in LMICs. @petersinger.bsky.social @verowirtz.bsky.social reuters.com/business/hea...

The i3 program for African health startups is back for Phase 2! After backing 60 early-stage startups in Phase 1, we’re now supporting 7 growth-stage companies using innovative tech to improve pharmacy access for patients. 7 outstanding companies and founders ... #Africa #healthtech #i3 #pharmacy

Rwanda is emerging as a leading example of building world-class digitalization+ tech into the health system. Driven by strong govt commitment & health sector leadership; national ID & insurance systems; expanded broadband access at clinics; and the support of nimble, responsive, and trusted partners

Since 2020, I’ve been grateful to WWL Radio (which covers across New Orleans and the Gulf Coast) for having me on their morning show to discuss pharmaceutical supply issues. ~Last week, we covered questions around potential #pharmaceutical #tariffs. audacy.com/podcast/wwl-...

Honored to be on the Scientific Advisory Board of the #WorldVaccineCongress, which brings together top vaccine experts. Thanks to the panelists + engaged audience at this session on vaccine thermostability, from upstream tech to last-mile delivery. #vaccine #thermostability #supplychain

Uncertainty in trade policy is undermining the imp. goal of pharma supply chain diversification and reducing geographic concentration. Policy unpredictability is stalling these critical decisions. Article by @hannahkuchler.bsky.social & colleagues @financialtimes.com (link next) @cfr.org

The U.S. (and the world) must diversify its heparin API supply. Currently, most comes from China. We need to diversify geographically & production processes. @sabrinamalhi.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com covers the tariff risks—grateful to share my thoughts. washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Since 2020, I have frequently joined Tommy Tucker and WWL Radio in New Orleans + the Gulf Coast on their morning show WWL First News to talk about pharmaceutical supply issues. This morning, we discussed questions surrounding potential pharmaceutical tariffs. @cfr.org audacy.com/podcast/wwl-...

The Donald Trump administration reportedly plans to terminate U.S. funding to Gavi @cfr.org Senior Fellow @prof-yadav.bsky.social and Chloe Searchinger outline how defunding the global vaccine initiative could open the door for China to grow its influence among strategic partners.

Some pharma companies & distributors are stocking up the channel before the (potential) upcoming pharma tariffs take effect. The resulting "bullwhip effect" from this stockpiling will likely become more evident in the second half of 2025. @reuters.com @cfr.org www.reuters.com/business/hea...

The policy debate about how to create incentives for expanded pharmaceutical manufacturing in the US doesn't get into what it means for "tax-optimized supply chains." @cfr.org colleague Brad_Setser delves into the effect of the 2017 Trump-Ryan tax reform on production location (link👇in next)

Gepotidacin by @glaxosmithkline.bsky.social approved by the FDA for uncomplicated UTIs caused by some drug-resistant bacteria 👇. The development was funded partially with grants from HHS, ASPR, BARDA, and DTRA. Important data point about push vs. pull incentives for antibiotic development.

Global health agencies (e.g., Global Fund, PEPFAR, USAID, UNITAID) have led the way in mapping upstream supply chains (KSM, API, FPP) & proactively addressing supply risks. 🌍📊 🏥🔍 #upstream #supplychain #visibility #globalhealth at #forefront (1/2) www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/mapp...

. @cfr.org Senior Fellow @prof-yadav.bsky.social shares a map of drug supply chains, highlighting how global health agencies achieved considerable success over the last decade by charting the supply chain and understanding the risks at each step.

Irrespective of your views on US International Aid, please do read @jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social's essay in @nytimes.com today. He writes with firsthand experience of many of these programs and the genuine compassion of a true humanitarian. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/o...

Roche officially launches its SBX platform for NGS. An important tech for mainstreaming clinical use of NGS. Reminder of how transformative technologies trace their roots to early-stage NIH grants (in this case NHGRI grants to Stratos Genomics which Roche acquired). www.roche.com/media/releas...

Understanding how pharmaceutical tariffs affect drug availability and pricing is important for all healthcare professionals. 👇 is a short breakdown of the issue in @medpagetoday.bsky.social @gfriedman.bsky.social #pharma #tariffs #trade #SupplyChain www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

"With [Trump's] plans to impose 25% tariffs on pharmaceuticals, it reignites a critical discussion about how medical supply chains should be organized and what is most beneficial to patients." -- @prof-yadav.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco... @medpagetoday.bsky.social #medsky

👇my Valentine's Day message to colleagues working in international development, global health, and other social mission-oriented organizations.

A waiver for lifesaving humanitarian assistance doesn't mean much unless you have the staff to implement it @prof-yadav.bsky.social explains in detail why Sec Rubio's waiver hasn't enabled #globalhealth projects to escape overall suspension of USAID's work www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/usai...

Without sufficient staffing & clear understanding of activities that lie on the critical path to delivering medicines to patients, the USAID humanitarian waiver for life saving medicines is specious. My thoughts 👇 www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/usai... @thinkglobalhealth.org @cfr.org

Deep dive on the #USAID waiver: CFR Global Health Fellow @prof-yadav.bsky.social explains why the State Department's waiver is "severely misaligned" for decision-making around supply chains and delivering foreign aid.

Studying crowd dynamics can help to prevent stampedes in large and dense gatherings. Very interesting work in @nature.com by Denis Bartolo and colleagues at @ensdelyon.bsky.social #crowdmanagement #prevent #stampedes www.nature.com/articles/s41...

. @vanhollen.senate.gov & @raskin.house.gov Thanks for calling out the illegal attempts by the Trump administration to close USAID. Also, thank you for expressing your gratitude to all the staffers at USAID for their service to the nation & millions of people worldwide. #proudconstituent #

To mark the passing of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, I explore how Carterpuri a small village in India came to bear his name (a village that I used to pass by daily on my way to school) and why that story still matters today in global dev. @cfr.org www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/cart...

Growing up in Gurgaon, I passed a village daily on my school bus to Delhi. Originally founded by Mohar Singh Yadav, it was renamed "Carterpuri" in 1978 after Pres Carter. Its naming reflects a unique intersection of the Peace Corps, global health & intl development. indianexpress.com/article/citi...

Healthcare entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa are dynamic and fast-growing, particularly in downstream delivery. I enjoyed moderating this session during the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Day at Pasteur Dakar's 100th anniversary celebration. #health #innovation #entrepreneurship #Africa

A noteworthy investment by CEPI in Accumulus to take their tech platform to drug regulators in the Global South. Streamlining access to regulatory info will solve at least one part of what is needed to accelerate regulatory review & approval. cc: @tombollyky.bsky.social cepi.net/cepi-and-acc...

Had thought provoking discussions w/ diverse thinkers & doers on increasing private capital investments in healthcare for underserved populations at the @rockefellerfdn.bsky.social Bellagio convening-Igniting Scale: Private Sector Finance for Global Health in Emerging and Frontier Markets. Dec 9-13

"The difference between medicine & poison lies in the dose. In launching a government efficiency crusade, we must remember that efficiency, wrongly dosed, can sicken the very system it means to improve." @bioengineergm.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/9b14...

@stephanienolen.bsky.social 's @nytimes.com story from the eastern DRC, about mpox clade-1b & its early transmission chain. Reminder that epi math models, genomic seq, & global response are all incomplete without on-the -ground social science epi & front line HCPs. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/h...

Senegal and Rwanda achieving WHO Maturity Level 3 in medicines regulation is a significant milestone for the quality of medicines in the region and also a major advancement for progressing the regional manufacturing of health products. www.who.int/news/item/05...

US global health engagement is often seen through security, humanitarian, & geopolitical lenses, seemingly disconnected from domestic health. @tombollyky.bsky.social & @drjoshs.bsky.social argue 👇that domestic health in the US does shape its global health approach. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Radioisotopes are a critical input for imaging and diagnosis , but their supply chain is unhealthy. These substances cannot be stockpiled because they are unstable/decay. @chrisbaraniuk.com writes about supply issues for 1 such product molybdenum-99 @wired.com (1/2) www.wired.com/story/why-an...

#Supplychain #coordination folks say there is a need for an orchestrator to align across supply chain partners. But best-performing supply chains don't need an orchestrator, the partners know each other so well that they can sync, like 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=olHI... #supplychainsymphony

The supply chain of Fluorosilicic Acid (FSA) used for water fluoridation. A 🧵(1/5) 1) Manufactured mostly as a side product in phosphate/phosphoric acid/fertilizer production. Water fluoridation is the primary use of FSA (~60% of FSA was consumed for water fluoridation)

2 readings I've found helpful for understanding the history & current evidence re water fluoridation. 1. History of fluoridation by @nidcr.bsky.social www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/... 2. Cochrane systematic review of water fluoridation www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.... #oralhealth #flouride