Turning Lemons into Lemonade: COVID-19 Could Spur Boost for Domestic APIs Production, an Industrial Info Market Brief

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With the never-ending onslaught of bad news regarding COVID-19, it can become difficult to imagine anything positive coming out of this latest global health threat. Yet, the truth is, there are a number of encouraging things that have already become quite apparent. One could start with the very basic, such as global awareness about the necessity and impact of basic hygiene (washing hands, etc.), not just to curb the spread of COVID-19, but for all matters of health concerns. Pharma-Bio Industry insiders have long been aware that the bulk of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for use in domestic drug products come from overseas, yet believed the supply chains in place were strong enough to accommodate demand. The current threat to the global drug supply has turned that belief on its head. It has become quite apparent that there must be a shift to boost domestic API production. We are currently tracking 2,479 APIs plants across the world (planned, engineered, under construction and operational); of that number, 229 are located in North America.