In the past week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, which provides $10 billion to expand domestic production of medical supplies. The President also announced that all adults in the U.S. will be eligible for vaccination by May 1. In addition, a House subcommittee hearing was held on FDA foreign inspections. Please see details for these and other supply chain developments below:
- On March 9, the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a hearing, “FDA’s Foreign Drug Inspections Program.” Members of the subcommittee expressed significant concerns about the FDA’s continued postponement of foreign drug inspections and the resulting inspection backlog.
- On March 10, the Biden Administration announced that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine weekly supply would increase to more than 20 million doses to states, tribes, territories, and pharmacies and that the Administration would procure an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
- On March 11, President Biden signed into law H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The Act provides additional relief to address the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses. Notably, it provides $10 billion to expand domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccines, and other medical supplies. A section-by-section summary of the bill can be found here. An overview of key health provisions can be found here.
- On March 11, President Biden announced in his first primetime address that the Administration would make every adult in the U.S. eligible for vaccination no later than May 1.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these developments.