Experts testifying during the recent Senate Hearing cited Civica’s mission and efforts to diversify the supply chain and ensure more generic medications are made in the U.S.
Civica Rx was mentioned in expert testimony during a recent Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, chaired by Senator Marco Rubio, on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the small business supply chain. The witnesses discussed various topics such as, America’s drug supply chain reliance on China, the economic impact on small businesses of the novel coronavirus, and what these businesses need to stay afloat through the pandemic. Among the witnesses providing testimony were:
- Rosemary Gibson, Author of China Rx and Senior Advisor at The Hastings Center.
- Dr. Gerard Anderson, a professor of health policy and management and professor of international health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School Public Health, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management.
Dr. Anderson and Rosemary Gibson spoke about Civica Rx’s mission and its efforts to ensure more generic drugs are made in the U.S., including the essential components needed to make these medicines.
Notable Quotes:
Dr. Anderson: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=70611562-cd8e-4a1d-88e2- 05ddfec30b3c
“Some other ways of how congress could help small businesses provide services to address the coronavirus epidemic….Congress could ensure that more generic drugs are made in America. In my written testimony I explain how we helped create a small, not-for-profit company that is going to manufacture drugs that are overpriced and in short supply. Working with Intermountain Healthcare we created Civica Rx, it’s gotten up and running and is now manufacturing 20 drugs, with 20 more in the pipeline. Blue Cross just gave them $55 million to expand into the outpatient market.”
Dr. Anderson: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=9d8a7e0b-a966-45ba-bbfb- 9d8c17cfdb6b
When answering the question, what’s the most helpful thing the Government can do to support small biotech companies?
“Essentially that they have a guaranteed place to sell their products. So right now, they are coming up with some great new ideas, and they don’t always have a place to sell their products. And it’s true, mostly, not in cancer where there’s a lot of profit, but in anti-infective and antibiotics. If you develop something new in that area, and the current system doesn’t work. So that’s why we have created Civica Rx, which is this thing that’s run out of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah and other places. We just did not see that marketplace was producing certain areas because the profitability was not high enough.
Rosemary Gibson: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=47fea30f-d753-405a- 9435-fef53577dd85
In a free marketplace, where companies can make relocation decisions – are you suggesting some kind of legislation that would prevent or effect the cost of the countries that will take their manufacturing to china?
“The horse is out of the barn, but how can we grow and incent small businesses that are eager to fill this very large vacuum that we have. They want to do, what Civica I’m sure would want to purchase, essential medicines and all their ingredients made here in the United States. The DOD could purchase it, the VA, we could start a whole new market of manufacturing here in the United States.”
Rosemary Gibson: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=1d03fa69-f8a1-4783-b5df- 5a589ea73944
“I was sitting in a room with people who actually make medicines. These are the men and women in pharmaceutical engineering, pharmaceutical chemistry. I said, if you have to make these tomorrow, where do the core chemicals come from to make it? How much are we dependent on china? They said 90% of the chemicals to make those basic generic drugs depend on China. The good news is that there is advanced manufacturing technology, and really brilliant chemists, right here in the United States that want to make it and are capable of starting production tomorrow. And Civica Rx, they’ve committed all their A.P.I.’s being made outside of China, but they want to take the next step and make sure with all the chemical components that we’re not dependent on China. …We have brilliant people in this country. And they want to do it. and we can make a lot of these medicines here, we just need the investment to get started.”
Dr. Anderson: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=ee13b0a4-ad26-4330-b4fa- 8994e10bdd6f
“We are now working with the state of California and they have said that they want to essentially manufacture or produce drugs for the 13 million people that they insure. and they are trying now to do that based upon plants in California. So, they have the power of 13 million people that could manufacture drugs, and they’re trying to do it with Civica, and other places based in the United States. The government has this huge purchasing power and can use it to do things that are manufactured or produced in the United States.
Find more information about Civica Rx at www.civicafoundation.org.
CONTACT: Debbi Ford, Debbi.ford@civicarx.org
