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[Page S1718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Securing America's Medicine Cabinet Act
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, on Tuesday, my colleague Senator
Menendez and I introduced the Securing America's Medicine Cabinet--or
SAM-C Act--to encourage an increase in American manufacturing of active
pharmaceutical ingredients. These are termed APIs.
We did this because China dominates this portion of the
pharmaceutical manufacturing and given last night's news, I wanted to
come back for a moment and highlight the important work that is being
done in Tennessee and across the country to support our Nation's
response to this coronavirus pandemic.
Many Americans are very concerned, as they ought to be, about the
availability of testing. As you all know, this virus is novel, which
means we did not have test kits on the shelves before the outbreak
started. The tests that we do have are not instant. When people think
of an instant test, they think of a flu test or a pregnancy test. The
test that is required for this virus is not an instant test, but this
is in the works, and we do have top scientists at Vanderbilt University
and other institutions who are developing faster techniques, but, for
now, any test offered must be sent to a lab to be processed and
analyzed. Although these tests provide important information, we must
continue to focus on preventing transmission where we can.
Some of the other work that is being done will help lead us to a
faster path for antivirals and for vaccines. There is work in East
Tennessee, right outside of Knoxville, at the Oak Ridge National Lab.
Researchers have been using cutting-edge technology to identify drug
candidates for targeting the novel coronavirus. They are using Summit,
which is the world's fastest supercomputer. What they have done is feed
in information about the coronaviruses, MRSA, SARS, and H1N1--the
different viruses--and they crunched it down, and they have identified
77 drug candidates for targeting the novel coronavirus that we know is
COVID-19. Enabled by the screening of this database of more than 8,000
known drug compounds, the researchers accomplished in days what would
have taken years for scientists to do in the lab.
In my remarks on the floor yesterday, I went into detail about the
decades-long effort by scientists at Vanderbilt University's Denison
Lab to study coronaviruses. I want to reiterate one important point--
that all across the country, scientists just like our friends at
Vanderbilt are developing the antivirals and the vaccines that will
eventually be used to combat multiple strains of virus, not just this
particular outbreak but in addition to this outbreak.
The United States is a leader in research and development of
pharmaceuticals. Our labs, talent, and capacity for innovation are the
envy of the world, but right now we depend heavily on Chinese and
foreign companies to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients.
When this happens, we lose control of our supply.
So while we have all of this great work done in Oak Ridge, TN, and we
have this wonderful work done in the Denison Lab at Vanderbilt, we need
something like the SAM-C Act to enable us to have access to these drugs
and these compounds that they are identifying that we need. The SAM-C
Act will not solve our immediate problem. Once passed, it will
incentivize companies that specialize in development, manufacturing,
and workforce training to bring those operations back to the safety of
U.S.-based labs and institutes of learning, and it will expedite having
the antivirals and the vaccines that are needed to prevent this.
I encourage all of my colleagues to think ahead, offer their support
to S. 3432, and let's commit to securing our pharmaceutical supply
chain.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.