South Dakota governor prods Washington to address national drug shortages

As the U.S. struggles with prescription drug shortages, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has advanced a modest plan that she hopes will prod Washington to take decisive action to address weaknesses in the international pharmaceutical supply chain.

Noem told reporters at a pharmacy in Sioux Falls last week that her state will expand its stockpiles of certain medications that have been in short supply. The Republican former congresswoman also used the occasion to turn up the heat on the federal Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign suppliers like China and India.

Noem said she hopes other governors — and members of Congress — take notice of what South Dakota is doing and lend their voices to push for long-term change in Washington to fix what she called a real risk to national security.

“My hope is that those leaders in D.C. that have the ability to weigh in on this issue will,” Noem said. “We'll continue to educate them on why it's such a critical need for us to address it today.”