President Trump signs executive order to fill the strategic stockpile
On 13 August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify 26 drugs that are essential for public health. The executive order also mandates that a six-month supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) necessary for manufacturing these drugs be stockpiled. ASPR has 30 days to compile this list of essential drugs.The executive order also directs ASPR to update the 2022 list of 86 essential medicines and to propose a plan for acquiring and storing a six-month supply of APIs for these medications.
According to the White House, 10% of the APIs needed to make prescription drugs in the US are manufactured domestically. This dependence makes the US vulnerable to disruptions in the supply chain. The order noted that it “makes more sense to stockpile raw materials that are cheaper and have a longer storage period than finished drugs.”
This announcement builds on Trump's earlier efforts in 2020 to create the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR) stockpile during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2022 report, ASPR compiled a list of 86 essential medicines needed for acute patient care. The list includes the analgesics fentanyl, hydromorphone, lidocaine/epinephrine, and morphine, as well as antihypertensives such as amiodarone, amlodipine, and diltiazem.
The executive order also supports Trump’s earlier initiatives to strengthen domestic manufacturing within the pharmaceutical sector.
In May, Trump announced another executive order aimed at boosting the domestic production of pharmaceutical products. This order also urged the FDA to increase inspections of foreign drug manufacturers and to reevaluate its approach to pre-approval inspections (RELATED: FDA to expand unannounced foreign inspections after Trump executive order, Regulatory Focus, 6 May 2025).
White House Fact Sheet
×
Welcome to the new RAPS Digital Experience
We have completed our migration to a new platform and are pleased to introduce the updated site.
What to expect: If you have an existing login, please RESET YOUR PASSWORD before signing in. After you log in for the first time, you will be prompted to confirm your profile preferences, which will be used to personalize content.
We encourage you to explore the new website and visit your updated My RAPS page. If you need assistance, please review our FAQ page.
We welcome your feedback. Please let us know how we can continue to improve your experience.