WORTH REPEATING
“We no longer live in a time where the spread of diseases moves slowly. As infection preventionists, we have been taught that we should always be pre- pared and ready for possible outbreaks. Identify-Isolate-Inform was the motto we learned from Ebola, and it is still one of the most important things we can do today.”
Lorene Campbell BSN, RN, CIC, Infec- tion Specialist, Valley Children’s Hospital, Madera, CA
“Standardized product data supports post market surveillance to understand how products are performing in routine clinical practice This can enable more effective and faster response in light of adverse events, but it also helps understand which products work best on which kinds of patients.”
Karen Conway, Vice President, Healthcare Value, GHX
“Consistency in communication is key to the success of any and all sterile processing departments regardless of where the personnel are located. Hav- ing certifi ed sterile processing person- nel at both locations is a key part of ensuring compliance to the processes and the following of IFUs.”
Mary K. Lane, MHA, CSPDM, CSPDS, CSPDT, MK Lane SPD Consulting
“The technology for safe patient han- dling in the OR has not kept pace with the technology used in other areas of the hospital. The use of ceiling lifts for lifting, moving, and positioning pa- tients on the nursing units is increasing; however, in the OR, there are very few available for use. Primarily, the equip- ment used to move patients in the OR are slide boards, friction reducing sheets, and roller boards.”
Mary J. Ogg, MSN, RN, CNOR, Senior Peri- operative Practice Specialist, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
“The tendency in supply chain is inter- nal promotions and little movement from locations. It is not uncommon to learn that a supply chain director started on the receiving dock, became a buyer and has been in the institution for over 25 years. This results in dimin- ished value, both of the role and of the marginal increase in compensation.”
Dee Donatelli, Director, Value Analysis Con- sulting, TractManager Inc., and Principal, Dee Donatelli Consulting LLC
related products. s part of the alsifi ed Medicines Directive an anti-tampering device and a uniue identifi er in the form of a 2D barcode will be required for all new prescription medicines in the EU. These efforts are designed to simultane- ously make these medicines more easily recognized as the genuine product as well as make it more diffi cult to falsify or replace the contents of any prescription drug or its container. The directive stems from years of research and strategy de- signed to address the safety and security of medicines.
I
In our everyday lives, we tend not to think about the risks associated with getting the wrong medicines. We don’t imagine that there are people out there tampering with ingredients or intercept- ing real and potent medications, only to replace them with less powerful or sometimes dangerous look-alikes. But this is exactly what happens. In fact, according to the World Health Organi- zation (WHO), over 10% of global sales for pharmaceuticals are for counterfeit drugs.1
If that’s not enough to leave an impres- sion, this is: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIE each year as a result of taking fake medications.2
Countless oth-
ers are injured—or at the very least, not helped in the manner the drug they are prescribed is intended to help. Imagine your mother, your child, yourself…
Why address fake medicines? 1. Patient Safety. There’s an obvious patient safety concern. The wrong dose could have signifi cant detrimen- tal impact. Then, there’s the issue of the unknown. Who knows what these counterfeit medicines are being mixed with? The potential for drug interac- tions, allergic reactions—or a patient
72 June 2019 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
n February, new laws went into ef- fect across the European Union to address the safety of medicines and
simply not receiving much-needed medications are all major concerns.
2. Access. The Internet has made it far easier for people to acquire medicines outside the historical norm: your local pharmacy. With this comes a lack of oversight and assurance from a repu- table source.
3. Awareness. Implementing standards for uniue identifi cation and tamper resistance not only makes it easier to recognize false medicines, it makes it easier to educate patients and their families as to what to expect in legal, authorized medicines. In this way, patients play a role in their own safety.
4. Money. The pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. alone is estimated to have lost $46 Billion to counterfeit medications. Perhaps there’s the impression that pharmaceutical companies are getting their due—but, remember—people are dying. And every penny spent on black market drugs takes away from the 20 percent pharmaceutical companies invest in research and development.
5. Oversight. Providing a unique identi- fier on all authorized, legal drugs will enable full-circle supply chain report- ing from pharmaceutical production to the patient. Ultimately, the EU will have comprehensive data not just from the supply chain and utilization, but also patient outcomes. There will be no better or easier way to measure success.
In addition to the anti-tamper and uniue identifi cation elements, the created an online reporting system to al- low pharmaceutical companies to report if any known or suspected counterfeits of the drugs they produce. (Presumably, this information would then be com- municated to hospitals and pharmacies.) For my own part, I’m surprised this isn’t expanded minimally to physicians and pharmacists for reporting, but suspect that day may come.
PEOPLE & OPINIONS Make fakes harder to take
Is a global approach to combatting counterfeit medications too much to ask? by Noel O’Hanlon
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
