WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 26, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MATSUI AND CRENSHAW INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO PREVENT DRUG SHORTAGES BY ADDRESSING VULNERABILITIES IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 26th, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen the federal government’s ability to prepare for and mitigate future drug shortages by identifying vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The MAPS Act would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to update its Essential Medicines List and create a map of the pharmaceutical supply chain. The map would include the country of origin, quantity manufactured, and other key information about critical drug products to identify supply chain weaknesses that could lead to shortages or other challenges in a future public health emergency. With this insight, HHS will be better equipped to predict disruptions, identify bottlenecks, and build resilience into the system—ultimately helping to prevent future public health emergencies.
The bill would also require the Secretary to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of these supply chains. The assessment would examine the key ingredients needed to manufacture essential medicines, overreliance on high-risk foreign sources, sole-sourced products, current domestic manufacturing capabilities, cybersecurity threats, and any other gaps that may reduce the federal government’s ability to identify health and national security risks related to our essential medicine supply chains.
“Recent drug shortages have exposed serious gaps in our pharmaceutical supply chain — gaps that put lives at risk,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Right now, we lack full visibility into where and how our essential medicines are made. We don’t know the extent of our reliance on foreign agents for key drug ingredients, or how a natural disaster would impact the drug supply. The MAPS Act is a crucial step to provide us with a comprehensive roadmap. By increasing transparency, we can bolster the weaknesses in our supply chain, better prepare for future public health emergencies and protect the well-being of all Americans.”
“Too often, we fail to recognize domestic drug manufacturing for what it truly is—a national security issue,” said Congressman Crenshaw. “Every time we rely on foreign nations, especially our adversaries, for essential medicines or their ingredients, we hand them dangerous leverage over us. This bill is a critical step forward: it gives us the tools to map our pharmaceutical supply chains, identify vulnerabilities, and better prepare for threats before they arise.”
According to the Association of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), ongoing and active drug shortages continue to be dangerously high, with 270 drugs currently in shortage. Despite progress from the FDA in preventing and mitigating drug shortages, these efforts are largely reactive. Shortage prevention efforts could be more effective if they were proactive and targeted to the most vulnerable and essential drugs.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) – the key ingredients that give a drug their intended effect – are largely manufactured overseas in China or India. The MAPS Act would establish a supply chain map including the origin of each drug, the location of the facilities used to manufacture them, and associated inspections and risks, such as recalls and import alerts.
Endorsing organizations include: California Hospital Association, Texas Hospital Association, Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Angels for Change, CivicaRx, U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO), and Vizient.
“ASHP strongly supports the MAPS Act. By requiring the Department of Health and Human services to coordinate with other agencies and the private sector to map the pharmaceutical supply chain, threats to the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain can be identified and addressed before they place patients at risk,” said Tom Kraus, Vice President of ASHP Government Relations.
“ASCO applauds the introduction of the MAPS Act, in the House of Representatives. This legislation aims to improve stakeholder visibility into the supply of critical prescription drugs in this country and ultimately used to mitigate the harms patients face amid drug shortages,” said Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, Board Chair of the Association for Clinical Oncology. “We applaud Representatives Matsui and Crenshaw for their bipartisan dedication to improving access to cancer drug treatments and other critical medications.”
“Prolonged and persistent drug shortages over the past two decades are jeopardizing Americans’ access to critical treatments and increasing our vulnerability to disruptions from natural disasters, pandemics, and geopolitical instability,” said Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Pharmacopeia. “Building meaningful and lasting resilience across this complex supply chain requires comprehensive reform. The MAPS Act will improve our ability to leverage tools, like USP’s Medicine Supply Map, to detect risks, anticipate shortages, and safeguard national security. As we seek further insight on the sourcing of key starting materials and API for producing our most vulnerable medicines, these collaborations are critical for understanding our vulnerabilities, as well as unlocking innovative solutions, like advanced manufacturing and scalable synthesis technologies.”
“Angels for Change proudly supports the MAPS Act—a vital step toward ending drug shortages and protecting patients,” said Laura Bray, Founder and Chief Change Maker of Angels for Change. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen transparency and coordination across the entire drug supply chain, helping to detect and prevent disruptions before they impact care. Building the reliable supply chain patients deserve will require collaboration across government and industry. We applaud Representatives Matsui and Crenshaw for their leadership in prioritizing the safeguarding of Essential Medicines that will benefit all US patients.”
Full text of the bill is available HERE.