November 17, 2020 – Vizient, Inc. (Irving, TX) announced it has published an update to its list of essential medications which, if not available, would prove the greatest threat to hospitals’ ability to provide immediate and high-quality patient care.
The update adds 13 medications bringing the total identified drugs to 225.
Additionally, Vizient has expanded its Novaplus Enhanced Supply program to include multi-dose Adrenalin (epinephrine injection), from Par Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Endo International plc, and dexmedetomidine premix presentation from Baxter. Epinephrine is part of the acute life-saving drug category and dexmedetomidine is part of the high-impact drug category of the Essential Medications list. Epinephrine is used to treat anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest. Dexmedetomidine is used in the management of intubated and ventilated patients including those with COVID.
The newly added drugs are:
- amino acid injection
- ascorbic acid injection
- chromic chloride injection
- clindamycin phosphate injection
- doxycycline hyclate injection
- lidocaine hydrochloride injection
- lidocaine hydrochloride/ epinephrine bitartrate injection
- manganese injection
- pegaspargase injection
- sodium acetate injection
- sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim oral
- tocilizumab injection
- Vitamin D analogs pharmacologic category
For medications in the Novaplus Enhanced Supply program, the contracted supplier is required to maintain additional, onshore inventory based on the historical usage of Vizient members. This program includes 19 drugs on Vizient’s essential medications list and has resulted in 39 million additional units of essential medications in the U.S. health care supply chain.