RAPID Reserve Act
Senate Bill Would Require 6-Month Drug Stockpiles to Prevent Critical Shortages
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Congress would have Health and Human Services pay drug makers and partners to keep rolling reserves of certain “critical” drugs and ingredients.
- Companies would generally need to keep about a 6-month supply of both the drug ingredient and the finished drug, and replace it with newly made stock regularly.
- In a shortage or emergency, Health and Human Services could direct production and could direct where some of the ingredient stockpile is sent to help make more finished medicine.
- The program would prefer U.S.-based manufacturing and U.S.-sourced materials (or from certain partner countries) to reduce reliance on fragile supply chains.
- The bill authorizes $500 million for 2026 and requires regular reports to Congress on which drugs are covered and how well the program works.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesSenators bring back bill to bolster US pharma supply chain by awarding contracts to domestic producers
The RAPID Reserve Act would require HHS to award contracts to U.S.-based drugmakers to maintain 6-month reserves of critical medications and ingredients. The bipartisan bill aims to address chronic drug shortages and reduce national security threats from overreliance on foreign suppliers.
Senate bill aims to rebuild drug manufacturing infrastructure: 3 notes
Reintroduced by a bipartisan group of senators, the RAPID Reserve Act directs HHS to contract with manufacturers for 6-month stockpiles of essential generic drugs. The bill seeks to address chronic shortages that have left some medications unavailable for over a decade.
Lawmakers dig in on biopharma manufacturing with bill proposing US center of excellence
Lawmakers highlighted the RAPID Reserve Act as a key legislative component in a broader strategy to improve pharmaceutical preparedness. The bill focuses on building domestic reserves and surge capacity to prevent national security threats from drug shortages.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
RAPID Reserve Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.