February 8, 2021 – Premier Inc. (Charlotte, NC), through its ProvideGx program, has partnered with Apotex Corp. to supply three essential antibiotics to healthcare providers.
The three medicines include cefazolin, cefepime and ceftriaxone for injection and are part of the cephalosporin category of antibiotics.
According to Premier, cephalosporins are one of the most widely prescribed classes of medications in the world and treat a variety of bacterial infections including skin or ear infections, strep throat, meningitis and pneumonia.
These drugs have historically experienced supply volatility in both active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and finished manufactured product. Cefazolin and cefepime have been on and off the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) drug shortage list since 2018 and 2015, respectively.
In the absence of these front-line antibiotics, healthcare providers are often forced to use novel antibiotics that would otherwise be reserved for severe cases, thereby potentially proliferating antimicrobial resistance.
Apotex Corp. is a global pharmaceutical company that produces high-quality, affordable medicines (both generic and innovative pharmaceuticals) for patients around the world. The agreement with Premier helps facilitate increased access to these medicines for Premier member institutions and their patients. The financial terms of Premier’s agreement with Apotex Corp. were not disclosed.