America’s Medicine Supply And The Cost Of Global Dependence
What Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Mean: Active pharmaceutical ingredients, often called APIs, are the key components that make medicines work. They are the substances that treat pain, fight infections, control blood pressure, or manage chronic disease. Without APIs, finished drugs cannot be produced, no matter where the final pills are packaged. In the United States, most people assume their medications are fully made at home. In reality, about 80 percent of APIs used in U.S. drugs are manufactured overseas, mainly in countries like China and India.