Spanberger pushes for continuous manufacturing of prescription drugs in U.S.

The CHIPS and Science Act will allow for new investments in manufacturing research.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia is calling for increased investments to strengthen continuous prescription drug manufacturing.

Spanberger’s letter to National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, also requests the industry to bolster the supply of essential generic medicines and prevent future prescription drug shortages in the United States.

Research institutions in Virginia, including Virginia Commonwealth University, stand to benefit from new funding for ongoing continuous manufacturing research since the CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law in August.

In her letter, Spanberger calls on the NSF to support research to use its new authority under the law to improve the resiliency of domestic pharmaceutical supply chains and prevent shortages in the future of generic drugs.

“Our country’s historic underinvestment in pharmaceutical manufacturing research has contributed to persistent shortages of essential generic drugs and our reliance on foreign suppliers for those drugs and the ingredients necessary to make them,” Spanberger wrote in her letter. “There is bipartisan concern about the public health and national security vulnerabilities caused by our country’s reliance on outdated batch manufacturing techniques for essential generic medicines.”

Spanberger introduced the Continuous Manufacturing Research Act in June 2021 to allow the NSF to award grants for research into advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing. The U.S. House unanimously passed language based on Spanberger-led legislation as part of the National Science Foundation for the Future Act later that year.

“I believe NSF can support continuous manufacturing research through the new CHIPS Act language authorizing research into real-time process controls. I encourage NSF to use its new authority to support research that will improve the resiliency of domestic pharmaceutical supply chains and ensure our healthcare system has a stable supply of essential generic medicines,” Spanberger said in her letter.