The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response on Thursday announced an agreement of about $14 million for the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States.

Under the agreement, the API Innovation Center—a nonprofit coalition that Olin’s Tony Sardella founded in 2021 and chairs in St. Louis—will modernize the manufacturing capacities across several sites within the center’s consortium network.

The initiative is part of an effort to make more essential medicines in America to help mitigate drug shortages as a matter of national defense.

Project partners, including MilliporeSigma, the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Apertus Pharmaceuticals, and Mallinckrodt Specialty Generics, will lead the implementation of continuous flow manufacturing and other advanced processes to establish end-to-end supply chains for three essential medicines: 

• Albuterol: To treat asthma and other respiratory conditions.
• Desmopressin Acetate: To treat diabetes insipidus and blood coagulation conditions.
• Lorazepam: To treat anxiety.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of relying on overseas manufacturers, particularly in China and India, for essential pharmaceutical components. At Olin, Sardella, who is the senior research advisor at Olin’s Center for Analytics and Business Insights, led a 2021 CABI study into the matter.

“This funding represents both a financial commitment and a significant step toward securing America’s pharmaceutical resiliency and patient access to critical medicines,” Sardella said. “By focusing on developing these high-impact molecules, we are creating a private-public blueprint for driving self-reliance that is essential for national health security and can be replicated across the country.”

In a release from the API Innovation Center, Gov. Mike Parsons said, “By focusing on developing active pharmaceutical ingredients right here in Missouri, we are tackling a pressing national health security issue—our overreliance on foreign suppliers.” 

Economic impact on region

On September 25, the API Innovation Center and CABI are cohosting an event at Olin to highlight the center’s economic contributions to the St. Louis region and its investments in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies in Missouri. The event will feature a presentation on an economic impact study by CABI and a panel discussion on implications for Missouri’s manufacturing sector. Learn about the event and register here.

Learn more about the API Innovation Center and Sardella’s work.