Christiana Care Health System has joined Civica Rx, a new nonprofit organization created to give health systems access to reliable generic drugs.
Civica Rx is a collaborative initiative designed to reduce costs and create greater stability and predictability in the supply chain of many generic medications.
“In our commitment to deliver accessible, high-quality, affordable care to everyone we serve, we are continuously looking for strategic partnerships and opportunities for innovation that will make a positive impact on the health and well-being of our community,” said Sharon Kurfuerst, chief operating officer for Christiana Care. “Our partnership with Civica Rx will enable us to gain access to more affordable drugs and ensure that drug shortages do not negatively impact our patients. We are excited to be in this partnership which will ultimately impact the neighbors we serve.”
Civica Rx was established in 2018 by three philanthropies and seven health care systems that, like Christiana Care, have experienced the impact of generic drug shortages, such as the national shortage in saline in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
“Drug shortages are a significant challenge for hospitals across the nation,” said Terri Corbo, vice president of Christiana Care Pharmacy Services. “At Christiana Care, we have a strong track record of successfully meeting the needs of our patients on a daily basis, but behind the scenes it takes tremendous effort and resources to respond to drug shortages when they do happen. This innovative effort by like-minded health care systems to stabilize the supply chain has the potential to drastically improve our operating efficiency which ultimately benefits the patients we serve.”
Civica Rx for the opportunity to positively transform the existing generic drug pricing and supply model. Civica Rx will enter long-term contracts with both its health system partners and its manufacturing partners to set the demand and assure that there is a dedicated manufactured capacity for the medications that hospitals like Christiana Care require.
Civica Rx also will provide transparent pricing for all of the drugs it manufactures, so hospitals can understand the true price of making the drug.
“We are thrilled to welcome Christiana Care as a partnering member of Civica Rx,” said Martin VanTrieste, CEO of Civica Rx. “Drug shortages have become a national crisis where patient treatments and surgeries are canceled, delayed or suboptimal. We thank Christiana Care for joining us to make essential generic medicines accessible and affordable in Delaware hospitals.”
The company is working toward becoming a U.S. Food & Drug Administration-approved manufacturer and will either directly manufacture generic drugs or sub-contract manufacturing to trusted supply partners.
Generic drug prices have been rising, despite fixed costs of production. In some cases, the drug lines have been purchased, with the acquiring company sharply raising prices. Accompanying the price hikes have been shortages of supply.
