As COVID-19 rages on, it’s become quite apparent that our global supply chains are not immune to shocks and disruptions. In recent months, however, lawmakers have begun pounding their fists on their desks, raising alarm that Americans are in grave danger of widespread medicine and drug shortages due to our reliance on global production systems.

Knee-jerk, extreme proposals have surfaced with increased regularity, mostly centered around trying to bring as much drug production as possible back within U.S. borders. While we don’t think increased drug production in the United States is an inherently bad idea (more American jobs = good!), the central premise some lawmakers (and echoed in the media) are using to justify their more extreme proposals is MISLEADING.

Here’s the oft-repeated claim: “80 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are made in China.” For those of us who aren’t lab scientists, an API is the ingredient in the drug that makes it “active,” commonly considered the central ingredient.

Naturally, if China actually made 80 percent of the central ingredients in all of our medicines, we’d be alarmed too. Some lawmakers even go so far as to ominously proclaim things like “If the Chinese wanted to put us in a serious bind, they could withhold these lifesaving drugs from the United States.” Yikes.

Well, good thing then that China doesn’t actually come close to making 80 percent of the APIs in our medicines. Here is a breakdown of API production facilities.

But fine, let’s leave manufacturing facilities alone for a moment, because maybe you argue that just because the USA has more facilities doesn’t mean we produce more APIs. Fair enough. Let’s instead look at the top countries we import APIs from.

Turns out, only 18 percent of our imported APIs actually come from China. Compare that to Ireland, where nearly 30 percent of our APIs come from.

So how did this “80 percent of our critical medicine ingredients are made in China and therefore we need to panic” sentiment start? We traced it back to a press release from August 2019, detailing a letter sent from Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R) to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In his letter, the exact quote is: “Unbeknownst to many consumers… 80 percent of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients are produced abroad, the majority in China and India…”

Wait, so Sen. Grassley never even said that China produces 80 percent… of anything. It is true that most APIs are produced abroad, and yes, China and India together account for a disproportionately high amount of that 80 percent. But the fact remains that China is not responsible for 80 percent of the central ingredients in our drugs.

Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the media and some lawmakers from mischaracterizing the information to give their “Buy American” policies and reporting a bit more sensationalism.

In short, the next time you see someone say that 80 percent of our drugs come from China and how “dangerous” that is, know that it is a pretty big mischaracterization. Our drugs and ingredients are sourced from the entire world, not just China.

No doubt, our reliance on a global medicine supply chain should be closely evaluated and looked at to improve in the wake of COVID-19. But let’s at least acknowledge the complexity of our processes when looking to improve them instead of simplifying to “China makes all of our medicine so we need to change things ASAP.”