Significant price spikes for critical generic drugs and ongoing drug shortages are jeopardizing patient access to healthcare. The Healthcare Supply Chain Association and its member healthcare group purchasing organizations continue to advocate for policy solutions that reduce costs and increase competition and innovation in the generic drug market.
Recently, HSCA announced its support for two pieces of legislation – the “Lowering Costs through Competition Act” (H.R. 749) and the “Increasing Competition in Pharmaceuticals Act” (S.297) – that would help create a more competitive generic drug marketplace. Both bills would mandate priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) in single-source situations.
As these bills advance through the congressional committee process, HSCA believes they could be further enhanced to give priority review to generic injectable drugs with two or fewer manufacturers in the market. In addition, this prioritization should apply retroactively to ANDAs already accepted for review as well as prospectively to new ANDAs.
Generic injectable drugs are the workhorses of acute care facilities and bring tremendous value to healthcare providers and the patients they serve. Price spikes for these drugs are causing significant challenges for patients and providers undergoing inpatient care.
HSCA represents the GPOs that are the sourcing and purchasing partners to virtually all of America’s hospitals and the vast majority of its long-term care facilities, surgery centers, clinics, and other healthcare providers. Given the unique line of sight that GPOs have into all aspects of the healthcare supply chain, HSCA has and will continue to serve as a resource as Congress pursues legislative solutions to generic drug price spikes.
SUBHEAD: In other HSCA news…
HSCA recently announced that Health Resource Services, a group purchasing and contracting organization from Seattle, Wash., has joined the organization as a new member. HRS President Ken Freeman has also joined the HSCA board of directors, bringing his 45 years of healthcare administration experience to help guide the organization. “HRS is dedicated to providing our nation’s healthcare providers and patients with the best products and services at the best value, and we are pleased to join HSCA, an organization that shares that core mission,” said Freeman.
Health Resource Services is Intalere’s largest marketing affiliate and integrated delivery network (IDN), providing group purchasing and consulting services to over 19,000 healthcare providers across the continental United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii.
Ed Jones, President and CEO of HealthTrust, will serve as the chair of the HSCA board of directors for 2017. Jennifer Gedney, Children’s Hospital Association vice president of supply chain services; Ken Freeman, President of HRS; and Jim Johnston, vice president of PRIME, have joined the board as new members.
Mark Whitman, Intalere’s director of supply chain, Diagnostix Services, has been elected chair of the organization’s Committee for Healthcare eStandards (CHeS). “Mark’s knowledge, dedication, and three decades of experience will be instrumental as the healthcare supply chain continues to improve safety and efficiency through the establishment of global standards,” said CHeS Executive Director Curt Miller.