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HDMA COMMENDS DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE FOR ARRESTS OF ROGUE INTERNET OPERATORS
President And CEO John Gray Stresses
Association’s Continued Commitment To Patient Safety
Reston, VA — April 13, 2005 — “The Healthcare Distribution
Management Association (HDMA) strongly supports the United States Department
of Justice (DoJ) and their continuing and successful efforts to capture
and arrest criminals involved in the sale of illegal and unapproved pharmaceutical
products,” said John M. Gray, HDMA President and CEO. The DoJ reported
on April 20 that it arrested 16 suspects in an effort to thwart
drug counterfeiting and illegal trafficking over the Internet.
HDMA believes every effort must be taken to ensure that no counterfeit,
adulterated or otherwise tampered-with drugs enter the marketplace
through any point in the healthcare system. An over-riding responsibility
of our
nation’s healthcare distributors, with their supply chain partners,
is to ensure the safety, quality and integrity of the products
they distribute.
HDMA has a solid history of working
with supply chain partners, state and federal lawmakers and regulators to
advocate for stricter
pharmaceutical licensing and regulations, new technologies to
track and trace products
and industry guidelines for maintaining supply chain integrity.
HDMA has been proactive on a number of security fronts and in
working with its Government Affairs Committee in early 2004,
advocated minimum security principles for providers of Internet pharmacy
services.
HDMA also has led the healthcare distribution industry in recommending
anti-counterfeit measures. Efforts have included:
- Throughout 2002, HDMA worked with Florida’s Department of Health
and the state legislature to enact legislation that strengthened the state’s
counterfeiting penalties.
- In early 2003, HDMA partnered with the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's (MIT) Auto-ID Center to promote education
and
awareness of Electronic Product Code (EPC) as a powerful anti-counterfeiting
technology.
- In August 2003, HDMA held the first meeting of
the Product Safety Task Force. This task force recommended multi-pronged
anti-counterfeit solutions,
including track and trace technology.
- HDMA approved in November 2003 a position statement calling
for RFID/EPC adoption in healthcare, noting that the technology
has the greatest potential to secure the supply chain from counterfeit
drugs.
- In November 2003, HDMA developed its Recommended Guidelines
for Pharmaceutical Distribution System Integrity. These Guidelines
raise the standard of practice throughout the distribution system
by recommending drug purchasers conduct tough due diligence,
thorough background
checks
and on-site inspections of sellers of prescription drugs.
- In November 2003, HDMA commented to the FDA and recommended
electronic track and trace solutions, stronger state licensure
laws, increased penalties for counterfeiting and industry-wide
adoption of best business
practices as key provisions necessary to combat criminals tainting
the U.S. prescription drug supply.
- HDMA and EPCglobal in January 2004 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) calling for both groups explore the potential
benefits and applications
of EPC technology in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
- HDMA in February 2004 joined Project Jumpstart, a group that
develops EPC technology pilots in the healthcare supply chain.
- In April 2004, HDMA testified before the Nevada State Board
of Pharmacy and recommended the Board implement stronger penalties
for the crime of counterfeiting.
- In September 2004, HDMA joined the NABP’s
National Drug Advisory Coalition, and helped develop the criteria
used to determine
a national list of products susceptible to counterfeiting.
- In February 2005, HDMA President and CEO John
Gray testified before the Senate HELP Committee on the safety and
security of
the supply chain, emphasizing the association’s commitment to patient
health and safety.
About HDMA
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) is the national association representing primary, full-service healthcare distributors. Each business day, the member companies of HDMA are responsible for ensuring that more than eight million prescription medicines and healthcare products are safely delivered to 145,000 pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes, physician offices, clinics, government and other providers in all 50 states. This essential public health function is provided with tremendous efficiency, saving the nation’s healthcare system nearly $32 billion each year. HDMA and its members are the vital link in the healthcare system, working daily to provide value, remove costs and develop innovative solutions to deliver care safely and effectively.
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