By John George – Senior
Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Jan 7,
2019, 11:03am EST
St.
Luke’s University Health Network, parent company of Quakertown Hospital in
Bucks County, was among the 12 health systems to join a new nonprofit generic
drug company as founding members.
When
combined with hospitals represented by the initial governing members of Civica
Rx, about 750 U.S. hospitals have now joined the venture launched last year as
a vehicle for medical centers to counter pharmaceutical product shortages and
rising drug prices.
Civica
Rx, based in Salt Lake City, is working towards becoming an Food and Drug
Administration-approved manufacturer and will either directly make generic
drugs or subcontract manufacturing to "trusted" supply partners.
Martin
VanTrieste, CEO of Civica Rx, said drug shortages have become a
"national crisis" that has caused patient treatments and surgeries to
be canceled, delayed or "suboptimal." Civica Rx expects to bring more
than 14 hospital-administered generic drugs to hospitals and health systems in
2019 as the initial focus of the company’s efforts.
In
addition to Bethlehem-based St. Luke’s, the 12 new founding members are:
- Advocate Aurora
Health
- Allegheny Health
Network
- Baptist Health
South Florida
- Franciscan
Alliance
- Memorial Hermann
Health System
- NYU Langone
Health
- Ochsner Health
System
- Sanford Health
- Spectrum Health
- Steward Health
Care
- UnityPoint Health
“On
behalf of our patient base, St. Luke’s is helping to launch the Civica Rx
initiative to proactively address pharmaceutical shortages and escalating
pharmaceutical prices,” said St. Luke’s Chief Operating Officer Joel Fagerstrom,
in a statement. “This will give hospitals and patients reliable access to
affordable life-saving medications.”
These
founding members join the previously announced governing members of Civica Rx,
which include Catholic Health Initiatives, the Gary and Mary West
Foundation, HCA Healthcare, Intermountain Healthcare, Laura & John Arnold
Foundation, Mayo Clinic, the Peterson Center on Healthcare, Providence St.
Joseph Health, SSM Health, and Trinity Health.
Trinity
Health, a national Catholic health system based in Livonia, Mich., has a strong
local presence serving as the parent company for Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic of
Conshohocken, Lourdes Health System in South Jersey and St. Francis Medical
Center in Trenton. Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic is comprised of Mercy Fitzgerald
Hospital in Darby, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital and Nazareth Hospital in
Philadelphia, St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, and St. Francis Healthcare
in Wilmington. Lourdes Health System is the parent entity for Our Lady of
Lourdes Medical Center in Camden and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington
County in Willingboro.
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