On Mar. 27, 2020, researchers at the University of Minnesota reported that the COVID-19 pandemic stands a good chance of leading to shortages of critically needed medications in the U.S., given the nation’s heavy dependence on drugs made in other countries, especially India and China.

That concern is among the preliminary findings of a study of the US medication supply chain, revealed this week by the university’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of CIDRAP News. The effort, called the Resilient Drug Supply Project, aims to provide a detailed map of the entire supply chain for important drugs used in the United States.

CIDRAP leaders hope to induce drug companies to share more information about their inventories and supply chains so that shortages can be prevented or their impact blunted. They say little information is currently available.