HDMA RESPONSE TO DATELINE

June 2, 2006
Katherine Chan
Dateline NBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112

Dear Katherine,

The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) appreciates the opportunity to comment on our strong commitment to the continued safety, security and efficiency of the U.S. healthcare supply chain. HDMA represents the nation’s 40 primary, full-service healthcare distributors. Our members are national and regional companies. On a daily basis, HDMA members safely and efficiently deliver nine million healthcare products to more than 142,000 pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and clinics for patients across the United States. 

The top priorities of HDMA and our members are patient safety and supply chain integrity. As such, HDMA firmly believes that current and emerging technologies, such as RFID, are the best approaches to combat the illegal counterfeiting of prescription medications. Pilot programs underway have shown great promise and we have and will continue to fully support these efforts. Technologies such as RFID are just one element of a comprehensive strategy to further improve supply chain security and patient safety. HDMA and the nation’s primary healthcare distributors strongly support:

• Stricter, more uniform distributor licensing standards to ensure consistency across the 50 states;
• Tougher regulation, stronger law enforcement and harsher criminal penalties for the crime of counterfeiting medicine;
• The adoption of current and emerging supply chain technologies, such as RFID;
• Purchasing products directly from the manufacturer and ensuring a strong chain of custody for medicines.

Patients depend on the healthcare supply chain to work together to keep their medicines safe and secure. HDMA takes this mission very seriously, and we strongly support ongoing efforts to ensure the U.S. system remains secure, efficient and highly regulated. That’s why in 2005, HDMA took a leadership position, calling for stronger, uniform, national distributor licensing standards. A federal licensing system would ensure consistency in all 50 states and establish tough, uniform criteria for distributor licensure.

HDMA members serve as the central link in a sophisticated supply chain. Preventing criminals from trafficking counterfeit drugs is the shared responsibility of the entire healthcare supply chain -- manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies -- along with regulators and law enforcement.  As counterfeiting can happen at any point in the supply chain, we have an imperative to work together to preserve patient safety and access to lifesaving medicines.

Sincerely,

John M. Gray
HDMA President & CEO