A Fox News contributor thinks China is to blame for the ongoing drug shortage experienced across the nation. According to Dr. Marc Siegel’s statement on the nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight, the lockdown imposed in the country affected the supply chain.
“The story begins and ends in China tonight because those lock downs, those ridiculous lock downs, COVID-zero policies, cut off the supply chains,” Siegel, who is a clinical professor, told host Carlson.
He further revealed that 95% of ibuprofen and 75% of Tylenol imported into the United States come from China.
Even after China lifts the lockdown, Siegel doesn’t think that would mark the end of the pharmaceutical hassle. After the lockdown, the demand for those drugs will be at an all-time high and the Chinese are expected to turn to hoarding.
Siegel added that the Food and Drug Administration does not seem to be working to resolve the crisis.
It’s a hard time for doctors and patients across the U.S. as doctors have reported that they haven’t been able to find basic medications used in treating the flu or asthma.
“What was once an unthinkable situation—a shortage of basic antibiotics such as amoxicillin and Augmentin to treat ear and skin infections or even medications such as Albuterol to treat asthma—is now a harsh reality,” emergency room physician Dr. Robert Glatter told FOX Business.
Gastroenterologist and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Christopher McGowan said that the shortage also affects the surgery wing, as practitioners in his field lack anesthesia medications and other critical drugs they use during surgery.
Children’s Tylenol is also very hard to find.
In light of the shortage, doctors have turned to alternative medicine in the treatment of patients. These alternatives, McGowan said, are usually not optimal treatments, nor are they in the best interest of patients.
Drug shortage swells to national emergency, forcing doctors to find new ways to treat patientshttps://t.co/bGEvM66NiV
— Marilyn Richardson (@MarilynR1972) December 2, 2022
GOP doctor lawmakers have warned that the shortage of essential drugs the country is experiencing under the Biden administration can cause great havoc to the healthcare system. Addressing the scarcity of Amoxicillin, Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN.) advised that the U.S. immediately cut back on excessive regulations and “incentivize companies to onshore manufacturing” back to the country.
Rep Buddy Carter (R-GA.) said that the Biden administration should throw the full weight of its resources at the issue as the lawmakers warned that the medication shortage had become a security threat.
