Trump signed two executive orders to boost domestic drug production and ban research that could "cause another pandemic"

Donald Trump signed two executive orders from the Oval Room of the White House. While answering questions from reporters, the president implemented health-related measures. In effect, he put an end to the "dangerous research" of gain of function in "countries of concern" and facilitated the domestic manufacturing of prescription drugs.

Trump was accompanied by a variety of officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.; National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Jay Bhattacharya; and Vince Haley, director of the Domestic Policy Council.

On gain-of-function research, it consists of modifying a virus or bacterium so that it acquires new abilities or functions. Recently, the Trump administration launched a new website on the origins of the Coronavirus, in which they linked the start of the pandemic to research of this type: "Most likely, the origin of Covid-19 is due to a laboratory incident related to gain-of-function research."

In this context, the President's executive order directed an end to "any current and future federal funding of dangerous gain-of-function research in countries of concern such as China and Iran and in foreign nations deemed to have insufficient research oversight."

In addition, it empowers federal agencies to identify and terminate "other biological research that could pose a threat to American public health."

"These measures will drastically reduce the potential for lab-related incidents involving gain-of-function research, like that conducted on bat coronaviruses in China by the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology," they explained from the White House.

Trump boosts domestic drug production

The second executive order aims to increase domestic drug production. It "directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the amount of time it takes to approve domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing plants by eliminating duplicative and unnecessary requirements, streamlining reviews, and working with domestic manufacturers to provide early support before facilities come online."

In turn, the FDA is directed to increase fees and inspections of foreign manufacturing plants, as well as accelerate construction of facilities designed to manufacture prescription drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and other needed raw materials.