Safety First!

LOOKING BACK at the evolution of our company, it’s clear that there was a defining moment when what began as a means to an end—an income stream that would allow me to pursue my dream to coach football — turned into to a passion to make a difference in an industry I had, by all accounts, stumbled into. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t view my entry into healthcare distribution as an accident, but rather a serendipitous event that has challenged, inspired and driven me in ways I could not have foreseen in the beginning.

It was the summer of 1990, at the beginning of the first Gulf War — Desert Storm  — when I received a call that created a paradigm shift for me. Our company had just celebrated our two-year anniversary when we learned that the following day, the government was expected to requisition all of the albumin from manufacturers and distributors to treat potential war injuries. I received a call from a potential customer letting me know that another distributor had just called to try to sell it its stock at an inflated price in anticipation of the requisition and expected shortage. Young and a bit naive, perhaps, I was stunned that there was profiteering going on in the healthcare industry during wartime. And it wasn’t just the price gouging that was so disturbing; this intentional diversion of product represented a safety risk to those soldiers on the front line.It was at that precise moment that my focus and future inevitably changed; I realized that I wanted to be a part of a solution for an industry that in my mind should always operate with nothing but noble intentions — putting safety and availability, not profits, first. That was the beginning of our commitment to purchase only from legitimate manufacturers, and sell only to certified healthcare providers, shortening the supply chain to avoid secondary distribution channels that open the doorway to counterfeiters and profiteering.

This issue’s safety theme takes me back to that moment and the ensuing years of innovation within our own company — as well as collaboration with like-minded companies, individuals, associations and regulating bodies — to influence the change necessary to ensure a safe pharmaceutical supply chain. At FFF, we call this Helping Healthcare Care, which is our mission. The evolution from our initial commitment, to our pledge of Guaranteed Channel Integrity, has resulted in more than 21 counterfeit-free years. Beyond our own sphere of influence, I am proud and overwhelmed by the commitment of our partners, the manufacturers, who put the safety and purity of products at the forefront of their decision-making process. In our Leadership Corner column, Flemming Nielson, president of Octapharma, USA, says it well: “If it’s safe for patients, it’s safe for the company.” I think that all of his industry peers would agree.

The content in this important issue explores the ongoing vulnerabilities in our supply chain and considers meaningful measures to prevent counterfeiting. Surprisingly encouraging is our Industry Insight, which reports on a very positive safety record for plasma products and vaccines during the last five years — a testament to the commitment of multiple stakeholders!

This month’s feature on Counteracting the Anti-Vaccine Movement is timely, especially with the recent retraction of an article that appeared in the 1998 British medical journal, The Lancet, that shows there is no proven scientific data that supports the author’s suggestion that the MMR vaccine will increase the risk of developing autism or any other behavioral disorder. And, our feature on early detection diagnostics for cancer explores many current and developing technologies that have promising potential to improve patient outcomes.

As always, we hope you find this issue insightful and helpful to you and your colleagues.

Helping Healthcare Care,

Patrick M. Schmidt

Publisher