HDMA CALLS FOR CONTINUED EMPHASIS
ON PATIENT SAFETY AND INTEGRITY OF THE U.S. PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN,
IN RESPONSE TO RELEASE OF
HHS DRUG IMPORTATION TASK FORCE REPORT
RESTON, Va., Dec. 21, 2004 –– The
Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), representing
full-service U.S. healthcare distributors, stated today it is fully
reviewing the Health and Human Services (HHS) Task Force Report on
Importation. “The nation’s healthcare distributors are
committed, first and foremost to patient safety and the integrity
of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. As such, we are continuing
our work with the Administration and Congress to ensure that a safe
and secure prescription drug supply chain is the paramount consideration
in the debate over drug importation,” said John M. Gray, HDMA
President and CEO.
“HDMA and our member company distributors have testified
before the HHS Task Force and we’ve been consistently outspoken
on the critical importance of assuring patient safety when considering
the issues of drug importation. Our focus has been, and continues
to be, on three key safety issues we believe must be thoroughly
addressed: product authentication, product integrity, and product
availability. Each offers significant challenges that require extensive
study and consideration before moving forward with any importation
proposal.”
Gray continued, “Today as drug counterfeiting
and terrorism are front-and-center issues, we urge policymakers
to be exceedingly
careful before moving forward with any program to import medicines
from abroad. HDMA will continue to provide policymakers with
fact-based information on supply chain issues as importation
is considered.
In the meantime, we applaud the continued efforts of HHS to conduct
a comprehensive review of the issues and identification of the
concerns surrounding importation.”
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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