ProvideGx, LLC, a consolidated subsidiary of Premier Inc., a healthcare group purchasing organization, announced plans to develop a more stable and reliable supply chain for generic drugs in short supply. The GPO says it is collaborating with Fresenius Kabi to help mitigate national shortages of injectable thiamine, lidocaine, diphenhydramine, hydromorphone and morphine sulfate.
Thiamine is a nutritional supplement used to treat or prevent vitamin B1 deficiency. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. Lidocaine, hydromorphone and morphine sulfate are analgesics administered under the supervision of a healthcare provider during surgeries, traumas, burns and other invasive procedures.
Fresenius Kabi, a 2018 recipient of the Food and Drug Administration’s Drug Shortage Assistance Award, is a global healthcare company that develops, and manufacturers injectable medicines used in hospitals and clinics to treat patients with critical and chronic conditions.
ProvideGx identifies safe, high-quality supply sources for drugs that are or may be on the national drug shortage list. Through the subsidiary, Premier says it is working with a robust pipeline of manufacturers to identify sources of product supply, and to explore and implement solutions to address specific market needs.
“Premier’s strategies to address drug shortages are already bearing fruit and showing demonstrable success in our ongoing efforts to permanently address this important issue,” said Premier’s President, Michael J. Alkire, in a statement. “Fresenius Kabi is a quality manufacturer and the second supplier that we have collaborated with to aggregate demand and help create a predictable supply. Our flexible approach is designed to help provide additional sources of shortage drugs.”
Premier says after a period of decline, drug shortages in America increased significantly in 2018, with an estimated 124 drugs currently at risk or not readily available for U.S. hospitals, according to the FDA’s drug shortage list. With wide-ranging effects on patient care, drug shortages can add time and expense as providers search for therapeutic alternatives and manage supplies, potentially delaying certain elective hospital procedures.
“Collaboration by each party within the supply chain of care is essential to solving the issue of drug shortages in America for all healthcare providers and patients,” said John Ducker, President and CEO of Fresenius Kabi USA in the statement.
Guided by Premier’s member health systems and its National Pharmacy Committee, representing more than 1,000 hospitals across the nation, the company says ProvideGx seeks to introduce additional drugs from a target list of more than 60 shortage products in months to come, beginning with sterile generic injectables.
