{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-makary-investigate-unregulated-drug-ingredients-from-communist-china", "Cotton to Makary: Investigate Unregulated Drug Ingredients from Communist China", "2026-02-13", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353\n\nFebruary 13, 2026\n\nCotton to Makary: Investigate Unregulated Drug Ingredients from Communist China\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary urging further investigation into unregulated pharmaceutical ingredients flowing into our country from Communist China. Illegal, unregulated active pharmaceutical ingredients pose significant health risks to Arkansans.\n\nIn part, Senator Cotton wrote:\n\n\u201cThank you for your actions to combat unsafe ingredients in our pharmaceutical supply chain. I write to reiterate concerns about active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) from unregulated Chinese entities that have made their way into our domestic supply chain. China\u2019s access to America\u2019s pharmaceutical supply chain presents national security risks as well as significant health risks to American patients.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter may be found here and below.\n\nFebruary 13, 2026\n\nThe Honorable Martin Makary, M.D., M.P.H.\n\nCommissioner\n\nU.S. Food and Drug Administration\n\n10903 New Hampshire Ave.\n\nSilver Spring, MD 20993\n\nDear Commissioner Makary:\n\nThank you for your actions to combat unsafe ingredients in our pharmaceutical supply chain. I write to reiterate concerns about active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) from unregulated Chinese entities that have made their way into our domestic supply chain. China\u2019s access to America\u2019s pharmaceutical supply chain presents national security risks as well as significant health risks to American patients.\n\nA recent analysis from the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol shows that between September 2023 and January 2025, 195 illegal shipments of APIs, likely used in compounded weight loss medications, entered the U.S. market. Roughly 60 of the identified shipments originated from China and Hong Kong. It is estimated that as of January 2026, up to 1.5 million American patients could be using unregulated compounded weight loss medications that may contain potentially dangerous ingredients from Chinese manufacturers.\n\nOn February 6, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was referring a prevalent U.S.-based marketer of under-regulated compounded medications to the Department of Justice for potential violations of federal law. I encourage further investigations into other entities that expose American patients to dangerous, unregulated Chinese APIs.\n\nTom Cotton\n\nUnited States Senator\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-makary-investigate-unregulated-drug-ingredients-from-communist-china"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.878932187333703, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}