Trump singles out Ireland in battle to bring pharma production back to US

US president Donald Trump has singled out Ireland as he vowed to bring global pharmaceutical production back to the US.

Speaking at a Fox News "town hall" interview on Sunday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Mr Trump was asked about what kind of financial incentive he would offer US pharmaceutical companies to make sure that America is no longer dependent on China for supplies.

“It’s not only China, you take a look at Ireland. They make our drugs. Everybody makes our drugs except us,” he said. “We’re bringing that whole supply chain back. Nobody has to tell me to do it, I’ve been talking about that for years.”

Noting that at least 94 per cent of America’s medicines were made abroad, he said he hoped to bring that back to the US within two years. “We’re all about America First,” he said.

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Mr Trump said he had spoken to drug companies, and argued that production could be done for the same price in the US, and companies would not have the transportation costs they have now. He noted that one of the reasons he was elected in 2016 was because of his “America First” policy.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a focus on America’s dependence on global supply chains for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, with China in particular under the spotlight. However, Mr Trump has also highlighted Ireland’s role as a major producer of pharmaceuticals that are then shipped to the US.

In March he said that he was looking at alternative means of production, name-checking Ireland.

“Ireland does a lot of work for us you know that in that world, in the pharma world. A very tremendous producer, and we are looking to bring a lot more back home,” he said in mid-March as the full extent of the coronavirus pandemic began to become clear.

“I’ve been talking about this for many years...long before I decided to run for president....we have to be able to take care of our country.”

Research

Ireland is a major exporter of pharmaceutical and medical supply goods to the US. Several of the top US pharmaceutical companies including Bristol Myers Squib, Pfizer and Merck have large research and development, and manufacturing facilities in Ireland, something that stretches back decades.

Ireland exported €49.7 billion worth of medicinal and pharma products last year, with around €21.2 billion going to the US.

Irish and American officials have been working to ensure the continued flow of pharma goods from Ireland to the US via cargo flights since the pandemic hit.

In particular, Ireland’s trade surplus in goods with the US – part of a broader trade imbalance between the EU and the US – has been a subject of interest to the Trump administration.

Mr Trump also hit out at China during the two-hour event, saying the US had been “losing $500 billion (€459bn) a year to China for years” before he was president.

The pandemic has intensified tensions between Washington and Beijing, with the Trump administration blaming China for the outbreak of the virus that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Suspended funding

Mr Trump also suspended funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO), which he has said was too "China-centric".

While he refused to be drawn on whether he would apply fresh tariffs on China in response to coronavirus, Mr Trump said he would be ensuring that China had increased its purchase of US agricultural products as agreed in the phase one trade deal between the two countries.

Asked if he believed China had misled the global community over coronavirus, he said: "I don't think there's any question about it," adding that China had tried to blame Europe.