(a)
In general— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall develop a confidential list of drugs such Secretary determines to be critical to the public health or national security. Such list shall include the name of each such drug, as well as all active pharmaceutical ingredients and starting materials required for the manufacture of the drug. In developing the list, the Secretary may consider the role of shortages in impeding access to drugs.
(b)
Updates— The Secretary shall update the list described in subsection (a) not less frequently than once every 2 years.
(c)
Submission of list— The Secretary shall submit the list described in subsection (a), including any updates to such list under subsection (b), as a classified matter, to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, and to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
(d)
Interim list— During the period between the date of enactment of this Act and the date on which the Secretary issues the first list under subsection (a), the Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Secretary of Defense, and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, shall establish an interim list of drugs that will be deemed the list under subsection (a) until the Secretary develops the first list under subsection (a). Such interim list shall include not fewer than 30 drugs, as well as the active pharmaceutical ingredients and starting materials required for the manufacture of such drugs, that are—
(1)
included on the most recent list of essential medicines issued by the World Health Organization; or
(2)
countermeasures and products that could replenish the strategic national stockpile.
(e)
Comment period— Not later than 60 days prior to the submission of the list described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a comment period during which the public may comment on which drugs should be included on the list under subsection (a).