The White House is taking steps to identify domestic and nearshore manufacturing capacity for 86 essential medicines as the administration works to strengthen U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a request for information seeking details from manufacturers on existing, idle and planned production capabilities for the medicines and their key ingredients. The initiative is intended to support a federal effort to expand production of the essential drugs in the United States and nearby markets within 18 months.
- OMB is seeking information on manufacturing capacity for 86 medicines on the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s essential medicines list.
- The request covers finished-dose medicines, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials (KSMs).
- Amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin are also included because of potential supply-chain vulnerabilities.
- The administration is seeking information on both existing and unused U.S. capacity as well as new domestic and nearshore projects.
- The information will be used to shape potential federal policies, programs and partnerships aimed at moving production closer to the U.S.
- The initiative targets an 18-month timeframe for securing domestic or nearshore production capabilities.
OMB Maps Existing Pharmaceutical Capacity
The new OMB request is designed first to establish what manufacturing capacity is already available before the government determines how additional production should be developed.
The agency is asking companies to identify domestic and nearshore facilities capable of producing finished-dose forms, APIs and KSMs associated with the 86 essential medicines.
OMB is specifically interested in new and unused capacity, including facilities that are currently idle, as well as existing production and manufacturing projects already under development.
The request is open to entities that are not classified as Foreign Entities of Concern.
Essential Medicines Are the Main Focus
The 86 medicines come from the essential medicines list maintained by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
The list was developed to identify medicines considered important to U.S. healthcare and national preparedness. The administration has made strengthening production of these medicines a priority because of concerns about concentrated foreign manufacturing and potential disruptions.
The White House previously directed ASPR to update its list of 86 essential medicines and develop a plan to obtain and store a six-month supply of the APIs needed to produce them.
The current OMB initiative focuses on manufacturing rather than simply stockpiling finished medicines or ingredients.
APIs and Key Starting Materials Are a Major Concern
A central issue for the administration is the location of pharmaceutical ingredients.
According to the White House, only about 10% of APIs by volume used for finished prescription drugs in the U.S. are manufactured domestically. The administration has also highlighted the dependence on foreign suppliers for KSMs, which are chemical building blocks used to manufacture APIs.
OMB’s request therefore covers the entire manufacturing chain, from raw materials and KSMs through APIs and finished medicines.
The agency said the information will help federal officials understand where domestic capacity already exists and where additional investment may be required.
Amoxicillin and Ciprofloxacin Added to the Review
Although they are not part of the ASPR 86 list, amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin are specifically included in the OMB information request.
The agency cited potential supply-chain vulnerabilities associated with the two antibiotics.
Their inclusion illustrates that the administration’s review is not limited strictly to the existing essential-medicines list and may also consider other drugs where officials identify risks to supply continuity.
Government Wants to Use Existing Capacity
The OMB initiative is not solely focused on building new pharmaceutical factories.
The request specifically seeks information about existing U.S. production capacity that could be expanded or repurposed, as well as idle facilities that could potentially return to operation.
That approach could allow the government to identify opportunities to increase production without relying exclusively on lengthy new-facility construction projects.
OMB said the information will be shared with federal agencies that have requirements for essential medicines and will be used to evaluate potential manufacturing opportunities.
Nearshore Manufacturing Also Included
The initiative extends beyond U.S. facilities to manufacturing in nearby markets.
OMB is seeking information about nearshore production capabilities for finished medicines, APIs and KSMs. The goal is to understand how existing regional capacity could complement domestic production and reduce exposure to more distant supply chains.
The request is part of a broader effort to reduce dependence on foreign manufacturing sources identified as potential supply-chain vulnerabilities.
Existing Programs Are Already Expanding Domestic Production
The new request builds on other federal efforts to expand U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In March, ASPR awarded an additional $8.3 million to the API Innovation Center to expand domestic production of propofol and metoprolol. The project is intended to establish an end-to-end U.S. supply chain for metoprolol while expanding domestic API production for other critical hospital medicines.
Federal officials have also supported manufacturing projects covering KSMs, APIs and finished-dose forms for multiple essential medicines.
In 2025, HHS said a manufacturing ecosystem operated by Phlow was being developed to produce components and finished medicines for 15 critically important drugs.
Initiative Comes Amid Broader Pharmaceutical Reshoring Effort
The latest OMB action is part of a broader U.S. policy push to increase domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In an April 2026 proclamation, the administration cited foreign dependence in pharmaceutical production as a national-security concern. The document said approximately 53% of patented pharmaceutical products distributed domestically were produced outside the U.S., while only about 15% of patented APIs by volume were domestically produced for the U.S. market.
The administration has also pursued measures involving pharmaceutical tariffs and incentives intended to encourage manufacturers to establish or expand U.S. production.
The essential-medicines initiative focuses more specifically on ensuring that critical generic drugs and their underlying ingredients can be produced within the U.S. or nearby markets.
OMB Will Use Responses to Shape Future Policies
The current request for information does not itself award contracts, provide funding or require companies to build facilities.
OMB explicitly states that responding to the request does not constitute a government commitment to pursue a particular project or proposal. Instead, the responses will provide market information that federal agencies can use when considering future policies, programs and potential partnerships.
The agency is seeking information across the manufacturing lifecycle, including raw materials, KSMs, APIs and finished-dose products.
The responses to OMB’s request will give the administration a more detailed picture of where production capacity exists for the 86 essential medicines and where gaps remain.
Federal officials will then use that information to evaluate potential ways to expand or create domestic and nearshore manufacturing capacity.
The initiative represents another step in the administration’s broader effort to reshape the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, with the immediate focus on identifying facilities and manufacturing capabilities that could help secure supplies of essential medicines within the targeted 18-month period.
The White House is seeking information from pharmaceutical manufacturers about domestic and near-shore production capacity for 86 Essential Medicines identified on the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) list. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a formal request for information on September 25, 2026.
The initiative is designed to identify existing and unused manufacturing capabilities for finished-dose medicines, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and key starting materials. Essential Medicines covered by the effort include a range of generic drugs used across healthcare.
Essential Medicines and Supply Chain Resilience
The government is looking to understand where additional production capacity could be established in the United States or nearby markets. The OMB request also includes amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin because of potential supply-chain vulnerabilities
