In the wake of shortages caused by Hurricane Maria, half a dozen groups that represent hospitals, doctors, and pharmacists are urging Congress to examine the lack of information provided by drug makers about product supplies.
The storm has caused shortages of various medicines — notably, solutions such as saline — but the extent to which manufacturing for many other drugs has been disrupted remains unclear. That’s because federal and state laws do not require companies to disclose which products are made at which plants.
About 25 percent of all U.S. pharmaceutical exports last year emanated from Puerto Rico. And Puerto Rican manufacturing accounts for 3.2 percent to 4.5 percent of global gross pharmaceutical sales, and about 5 to 8 percent of U.S. gross pharmaceutical sales, according to Sector & Sovereign Research.
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