HDMA 2006 INNOVATION FOR SUCCESS AWARDS HONOR
HEALTHCARE DISTRIBUTION LEADERS

Prestigious Industry Awards Presented at the 2006 HDMA Business Partners Exchange

Arlington, VA (March 7, 2006) The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) presented three prestigious Innovation for Success (IFS) Awards to distribution company leaders at its 2006 Business Partners Exchange, currently being held in Grapevine, TX. Winners of the prestigious HDMA IFS Award demonstrate the value of distribution by developing creative and results-oriented programs and processes that benefit the healthcare supply chain, customers and consumers.

The 2006 IFS Award winners are:

• Health and Beauty Care Products Category – Jerry Pascoe, Category Manager, OTC & HBC, H.D. Smith
• Pharmaceutical, Sales Above $8 Billion Category – Karyl Brown, Vice President, Purchasing; Paul Shatto, Manager, Pharmaceutical Purchasing; and Rod Clouser, Senior Quality Assurance Analyst, all of Cardinal Health
• Pharmaceutical, Sales Under $8 Billion Category – Mike Bach, Director of Sales and Marketing, McQueary Bros. Drug Company

“IFS Award winners set standards of excellence by championing business practices that benefit healthcare manufacturers, providers and patients,” said HDMA President and CEO John M. Gray. “This year’s honorees demonstrate how distributors enhance supply chain efficiencies and improve patient access to vital medicines through value-added services. By offering results-oriented and customized support to supply chain partners, the 2006 IFS Award winners have created measurable business benefits in the healthcare industry.”

The Innovation for Success Awards program consists of two major product categories: 1) Pharmaceutical category and 2) the Health and Beauty Care Products category. Two Awards are presented in the Pharmaceutical category; one to distributors with sales above $8 billion a year and one to distributors with sales below $8 billion. A single IFS Award is presented in the Health and Beauty Care Products category. HDMA Associate manufacturer members nominate distributors for the IFS Award.

The 2006 HDMA Business Partners Exchange, currently being held in Grapevine, TX, features two days of business meetings with healthcare distributors, manufacturers and health service providers.

HDMA’s 2007 Business Partners Exchange will be held on March 11-13, 2007, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL. For more information about the Innovation for Success Awards or the HDMA Business Partners Exchange, contact HDMA at 703-787-0000 or visit the HDMA Web site at www.HealthcareDistribution.org.

About HDMA
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) and its members are committed to patient safety by delivering life-saving health products and services through a secure and efficient healthcare distribution system.  These primary healthcare distributors, representing more than 90 percent of the distribution system, are responsible for ensuring that billions of units of medication are safely delivered to tens of thousands of retail pharmacies, nursing homes, clinics and providers in all 50 states. For more than 125 years, HDMA and its members have been the vital link in the healthcare system that is responsible for medicine safety, quality, integrity and availability in the marketplace.  Through leadership on public policy and industry best practices, HDMA and its members focus on providing value, removing costs and developing innovative solutions to deliver care safely and effectively.