Amid mounting concerns over the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, a Department of Defense watchdog found an overreliance on foreign suppliers that could harm national security and that the Pentagon failed to assess the risks of shortages or develop strategies to mitigate disruptions.
Among the shortcomings, the Defense Department did not aggregate and analyze the origins of finished medicines or active ingredients to determine the reliance on foreign suppliers or identify gaps in information about where the products are made, according to the Office of Inspector General at DOD. The OIG report also noted the military is not required to run such analyses.
In addition, the Defense Department did not identify the pharmaceuticals most critical to routine military field operations or test the readiness of its contracted vendors. Although the Defense Logistics Agency, which manages the global military supply chain, identified certain raw materials and back orders as a risk and recommended adjusting strategies, specific suggestions were not mentioned.
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