In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, Natural Products Association president Daniel Fabricant, PhD, said that the organizations NPA represents are ready and willing to begin producing and distributing medical supplies and other needed products in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
“Our manufacturers and distributors have the appropriate FDA, DEA and state and local inspection requirements to produce not only dietary supplements, but also drugs and other FDA regulated commodities,” Fabricant said. “Whether we are producing dietary supplements, foods or drugs, we are doing so meeting and exceeding all required quality requirements, which is of the utmost importance in this time of need.  We stand ready to assist with any uncertainty related to this capacity as the Administration responds to this crisis.”
 
The Defense Production Act, a bill passed in the mid-20th century, would allow President Donald Trump and his administration to require that American manufacturers assist with the production and distribution of medical supplies and products throughout the declared state of emergency. To much controversy, Trump has not invoked the act at this time. 
 
It has been widely reported that many manufacturing companies have already been designated as volutneers through the declared state of emergency to produce supplies needed by medical personnel, such as the millions of masks which have been produced thus far.

While some challenges present themselves due to non-medical companies taking a front-line role, several companies have since been working 24/7 on production lines in order to provide everything needed to detect, contain, and treat the virus, including masks, hand sanitizers, testing kits, protective gear, respirators, ventilators, and more.
 
The Covid-19 pandemic is the first event since World War II in which companies in the business of manufacturing consumer goods have been asked to switch up production, usually using the materials they source themselves, in order to mitigate a global threat.