With One Drug-Supply Issue in Check, Another May Be Looming
While the COVID-19 pandemic led to worrying spikes in demand for certain drugs back in March and April — spurring PBMs to swiftly establish dispensing limits — that particular storm appears to have passed. However, a push to reduce reliance on foreign-produced medicines could be the next cause for concern about the drug supply chain.
HHS on May 19 said it awarded a four-year, $354 million contract to “a team of private industry partners,” led by Virginia-based startup company Phlow Corp., which will work toward expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing in the U.S. “for use in producing medicines needed during the COVID-19 response and future public health emergencies.” The COVID-19 pandemic “has reminded us how health threats or other sources of instability can threaten America’s medical supply chains,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a press release.
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Lauren Flynn Kelly Executive Editor, AIS Health, and Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage
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