With the assistance of Congressman Wesley Bell, the University of Missouri–St. Louis has received more than $1 million in federal funding to support the launch and advancement of the API Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub on UMSL’s campus.
The initiative, in partnership with the API Innovation Center (APIIC), is designed to strengthen domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished drug products (FDPs) through advanced manufacturing technologies.
The funding was secured through the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Scientific and Technical Research and Services account within the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“These funds will promote safe pharmaceutical practices and advancements in public health, and I will continue to fight in Congress to uplift future generations of leaders through investments in higher education,” Bell said in a UM-St. Louis release.
The initiative could help improve public health while strengthening workforce development.
UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik thanked Bell “for championing this critical investment in the University of Missouri–St. Louis, APIIC and the wider region.”
This funding empowers UMSL and our partners to advance innovative manufacturing technologies, protect public health and build a highly skilled workforce for the future.”
According to UM-St. Louis, following the pandemic “there has been a heavy reliance on overseas manufacturing to produce essential medicines with the majority of APIs currently produced in China and India due to lower manufacturing costs, government subsidies and fewer regulatory constraints.”
That creates risk around national security and public health because supply chain disruptions can lead to shortages of essential medications.
UMSL and APIIC are collaborating to reshore production of five essential generic APIs:
• Propofol (sedation and anesthesia)
• Bupivacaine (local anesthetic)
• Albuterol (asthma and COPD treatment)
• Metoprolol (cardiovascular treatment)
• Lorazepam (anxiety and seizure disorders)
“Through our collaboration with UMSL we are strengthening innovative and advanced API manufacturing in Missouri. Partnerships like this demonstrate how public and private partnerships can work together to build a more resilient and secure U.S. generic drug supply chain,” said Tony Sardella, founder and chair of APIIC.
APIIC was established in 2021 “with a mission to drive national health security and economic growth through U.S.-based production of medicines so that every patient, health care system and pharmacy retailer has access to critical medicines.”
The nonprofit partnered with UMSL and the research and development lab inside UMSL’s Science Complex in 2025.