Sandoz to supply critical generic injectable meds

Sandoz will supply critical injectable generic medicines to hospitals to “help reduce supply shortages and ensure acute care settings can deliver optimal patient care,” the pharma maker said in a press release.

Sandoz entered into a five-year agreement with Civica Rx, a non-profit committed to making quality generic medicines available and affordable to its 1,200 hospital members.

Related: Generic EpiPen for kids may help with shortage

Sandoz will supply six injectable medicines widely used at Civica’s U.S.member hospitals — currently in higher demand due to COVID-19. They include antibiotics, acid reducers, blood thinners, blood pressure regulators, and medicines required in the operating room.

“Frequent supply shortages of critical generic medicines result in additional pressure for hospitals and their staff and often lead to sub-optimal patient care. Our partnership with Civica is delivering on a shared purpose to help ensure patient access to critical, high-quality medicines for years to come,” said Carol Lynch, president of Sandoz.

“Our associates are inspired every day to deliver on this purpose, even more so during this time of increased demand due to the global healthcare crisis,” Lynch added.

Related: U.S. accuses generic drug makers of price collusion

The manufacturer will start shipping the medications to Civica later this year.

Seventy percent of hospital pharmacy managers said in a 2018 survey that, on at least 50 occasions in the prior year, they were unable to provide hospitals with medicines needed to treat their patients because of shortages, Sandoz said.

Read more: GAO: Generic drug approvals too slow