Health Care Groups Release Drug Supply Chain Recommendations

CHICAGO - The American Medical Association (AMA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) today released a series of policy and marketplace recommendations to address significant challenges in our nation’s drug supply chain that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, “Improving the Quality and Resilience of the United States Health Care Supply Chain,” provides solutions to the country’s long-standing pharmaceutical supply access and quality issues that threaten the resilience of our health care supply chain.

The health care groups stated, “COVID-19 has magnified the dangers inherent in failing to address gaps and deficiencies in the pharmaceutical and medical supply chains. Supply chain disruptions can adversely impact patient care by delaying treatment or requiring patients to switch to less effective treatment regimens. Policymakers must do more to ensure a consistently safe, effective, and uninterrupted supply of quality medicines for patients in this country.”

The organizations have long collaborated on recommendations for critical steps to improve our nation’s supply chain and mitigate drug shortages, including a summit in July 2020 that examined the resilience of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain in light of the current state of global pharmaceutical manufacturing. The group is asking policymakers to implement a range of legislative and regulatory actions, including:

• Incentivize the development and use of advanced manufacturing technology and develop new continuous manufacturing technology for critical drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients – recommendations include adopting and implementing technologies in domestic and foreign manufacturing facilities.
• Improve the function, composition, and accessibility of the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile during public health emergencies.
• Improve international cooperation and collaboration with foreign supply chain partners, including but not limited to foreign governments and manufacturers.

The full list of policy and marketplace recommendations can be accessed here. 

About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises, and driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care. For more information, visit ama-assn.org.

About the American Society of Anesthesiologists
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 54,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment. Like ASA on Facebook and follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

About ASHP
ASHP is the collective voice of pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in hospitals, health systems, ambulatory clinics, and other healthcare settings spanning the full spectrum of medication use. The organization’s nearly 58,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For 79 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists advance healthcare, visit ASHP’s website, ashp.org, or its consumer website, SafeMedication.com.

About the Association for Clinical Oncology
The Association for Clinical Oncology is a 501 (c)(6) organization that represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2019, the Association works to ensure that all individuals with cancer have access to high-quality, affordable care; that the cancer care delivery system supports optimal cancer care; and that our nation supports robust federal funding for research on the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Learn more at www.ascoassociation.org and follow us on Twitter at @ASCO.

About USP
USP is an independent scientific organization that collaborates with the world's top experts in health and science to develop quality standards for medicines, dietary supplements, and food ingredients. Through our standards, advocacy and education, USP helps increase the availability of quality medicines, supplements and food for billions of people worldwide. For more information about USP, visit www.usp.org.

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