The Trump administration has unveiled a set of projects aimed at overhauling U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing through advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and informatics.
Backed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the initiative — called Equip-A-Pharma — will support four industry-led efforts to demonstrate agile, AI-enabled platforms for producing essential drugs at or near the point of care.
The program is designed to address vulnerabilities in the drug supply chain by enabling more flexible, domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished medications. Over the next year, project partners will focus on producing eight oral or injectable drugs, including treatments for epilepsy, infections, asthma, cancer, and heart conditions.
Participants include Battelle Memorial Institute with Aprecia, BrightPath Laboratories, Rutgers University, and the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. Each group will demonstrate technology platforms capable of rapid product switching, real-time quality assessment, and digitally supported regulatory submissions.
HHS said the effort could help reduce drug shortages, lower production costs, and support faster FDA approvals. All participants are expected to submit Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) within a year, leveraging data and insights gained from the government-supported development work.
“Traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing is often too rigid and slow to adapt to changing demands, especially during national emergencies,” John Knox, HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, said in a statement. “We’re launching projects aimed at completely changing the approach not just to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the U.S. but to do it better.”