Some hospitals in Europe report a shortage of drugs to heal virus-infected patients, raising concerns of more shortages to come.
Dependence on China for the production of drugs is similar in Europe as in the United States.
The laboratories supplying hospitals and drugstores in Europe said that there is no concern for now, as production is reported to be starting up again in China.
But the supply is dependent on one main area, Wuhan, where many pharmaceutical companies are based.
Wuhan is the original epicenter of the virus outbreak and one of the hardest-hit regions.
Businessman Eber Haddad, who has worked within various Chinese industries for 30 years, said the United States is facing the same problem as Europe.
He said, depending heavily on China for essential medicines brings risks.
“We are depending on China for pretty [much] most all the medicine we use in this country.
They can make war to us through the supply of this medicine,” Haddad said. “Another problem is the delivery. The ‘just in time’ principle that makes it a short supply chain is very dangerous.”
In mid-March, Trump administration officials said the White House was preparing an executive order to relocate medical supply chains from China and elsewhere overseas to the United States amid the virus outbreak.