Preventing Drug Shortages Act

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to reduce drug shortages, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preventing Drug Shortages Act 2. Additional manufacturer reporting requirements in response to supply disruptions (a) Expansion To include active pharmaceutical ingredients Subsection (a) of section 506C of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 356c (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting or its active pharmaceutical ingredients a drug (2) in the matter following paragraph (2)— (A) by inserting or its active pharmaceutical ingredients that is likely (B) or its active pharmaceutical ingredient or ingredients that drug (C) by adding at the end the following: Notification under this subsection shall include full disclosure of the problems resulting in the supply disruption, the source of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, any alternative sources for the active pharmaceutical ingredient that are known or contacted by manufacturer, information concerning the extent of the supply disruption, the expected duration of the supply disruption, the expected impact to distribution and availability in pharmacies, and such other information as the Secretary may require. (b) Manufacturing reporting Section 506C of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 356c (j) Manufacturer reporting Each manufacturer of a drug described in subsection (a) or of any active pharmaceutical ingredient of such a drug shall report in such manufacturer’s annual establishment registration and product listing under subsections (b) and (j) of section 510 the specific facilities in which such drug or ingredient is manufactured (including the volume manufactured at each such facility) to help ensure uninterrupted supply of the drug or ingredient. Information obtained through reporting under this section shall be maintained by the Secretary in a confidential and internal manner and shall be trade secret and/or confidential commercial or financial information pursuant to section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code. . (c) Consumer notification Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate legislative and regulatory recommendations for consumer notification in the case of a drug shortage, discontinuance, or interruption of the manufacture of a drug described in section 506C(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 356c(a) (d) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 3. GAO report on intra-agency coordination (a) In general Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report examining the Food and Drug Administration’s intra-agency coordination, communication, and decision making in assessing drug shortage risks, and taking corrective action. (b) Content The report shall include— (1) consideration of— (A) risks associated with violations of current good manufacturing practices; (B) corrective and preventative actions with respect to such violations requested by the Food and Drug Administration; (C) the effects of potential manufacturing slow-downs or shut-downs on potential drug shortages, including the discontinuance of drug manufacturing and marketing; (D) efforts to prioritize review of applications for drugs that the Secretary has determined under section 506E of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 356e (E) efforts to prioritize inspections of facilities necessary for approval of applications for drugs described in subparagraph (D); (2) a description of how the Food and Drug Administration proactively coordinates strategies to mitigate the consequences of the violations, slow-downs, and shut-downs described in paragraph (1) across agencies; and (3) an evaluation of changes in relevant Food and Drug Administration practices that such agency has proposed but not yet implemented. 4. Improving critical infrastructure by requiring risk management plans (a) Risk management plans Section 506C of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 356c (k) Risk management plans The Secretary may require a manufacturer of a drug described in subsection (a) to conduct periodic risk assessments— (1) to identify vulnerabilities in the manufacturing supply chain of such manufacturer; and (2) to develop plans to mitigate the risks associated with any vulnerabilities so identified. . (b) Guidance Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall finalize guidance implementing subsection (l) of section 506C of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as added by subsection (a). Such guidance shall include guidance on— (1) examples of what may be considered a vulnerability in the manufacturing supply chain in conducting a risk assessment pursuant to such subsection; (2) the timeframe within which a manufacturer must conduct such an assessment and provide a response to the Food and Drug Administration; (3) expectations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a manufacturer to mitigate in a reasonable manner any risks associated with vulnerabilities in the manufacturing supply chain identified in such an assessment; and (4) how the Secretary will coordinate with other Federal agencies to communicate and resolve any such vulnerabilities.

Summary: Preventing Drug Shortages Act This bill expands existing manufacturer reporting requirements related to shortages of life-saving drugs and contains other related provisions. The bill requires a manufacturer of an active pharmaceutical ingredient of a life-saving drug to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of an interruption that is likely to lead to a meaningful disruption in the ingredient's supply, whereas under current law this requirement generally applies only to the manufacturer of a life-saving drug that faces a supply disruption. The notification must contain specified information, including any alternative sources for the ingredient. The bill also requires a manufacturer of a life-saving drug or an active pharmaceutical ingredient for such a drug to include in its annual product registration the specific facilities where the drug or ingredient is manufactured. The FDA may also require the manufacturer to conduct periodic risk assessments to address vulnerabilities in its supply chain. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the FDA's intra-agency coordination in assessing drug shortage risks.