American PPE manufacturers launch new group
The American Medical Manufacturers Association (AMMA), a new group representing domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturers from across the country, launched recently. AMMA will work to highlight the critical need for the United States to have consistent access to quality and American-made PPE, especially in times of crisis.
“The Covid-19 pandemic exposed a giant hole in our U.S. supply chain and highlighted our country’s reliance on foreign manufactured medical supplies and equipment,” said Eric Axel, Executive Director of AMMA. “We must ensure that we are prepared as a country for future pandemics – and that starts with investing in U.S. PPE. This is the only way for the U.S. to bolster our public health, security, and competitiveness.”
AMMA’s initial members include Altor Safety, Aquaspersions USA, Blue Star NBR, Lutema, Ochsner Health, Premium-PPE, SafeSource Direct, United Safety Technology, and Vizient.
BD receives FDA EUA for COVID-19, influenza A/B, RSV combination test
BD announced that it has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new molecular diagnostic combination test for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A + B and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) to help combat illness in the current and future respiratory virus seasons.
The test, for use on the BD MAX™ Molecular Diagnostic System, uses a single nasal swab or a single nasopharyngeal swab sample to identify and distinguish if a patient has COVID-19, the flu, RSV or some combination of the three, with results available in as little as two hours. The test helps eliminate the need for multiple tests or doctor visits and can help clinicians implement the right treatment plan quickly. The co-testing approach also helps to increase testing capacity during the busy flu/RSV season and speed time to diagnosis.
“While fears of a ‘tripledemic’ this respiratory season have largely diminished, accurately differentiating influenza and RSV from COVID-19 and providing appropriate treatment remains a challenge for our customers,” said Nikos Pavlidis, vice president of Molecular Diagnostics at BD. “This diagnostic test provides the ability to identify multiple pathogens using a single sample and can quickly pinpoint the causative virus or viruses and enable clinicians to administer appropriate treatment early in the course of infection.”
The BD MAX™ System is already in use at thousands of hospitals and laboratories worldwide, and each unit is capable of analyzing hundreds of samples over a 24-hour period. The Respiratory Viral Panel for BD MAX™ System is an RT- PCR assay that detects and differentiates the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2, flu A, flu B and RSV in as little as two hours for the first result, with the simplified and automated workflow of the BD MAX™ System.
Henry Schein named to Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for 22nd consecutive year
Henry Schein announced that it has been named to the FORTUNE® “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for 2023, the 22nd consecutive year that the Company has been so recognized. Henry Schein also ranked first in the Wholesalers: Health Care category for the fifth consecutive year.
“For more than 90 years, our concern for the success of our stakeholders – our customers, suppliers, Team Schein Members, investors, and society at large – has long been the foundation of our purpose-driven approach to business and continues to inform our efforts to create a healthier world,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “Despite the challenges we face as a society and industry, the dedication and determination of the approximately 22,000 Team Schein Members remains strong, and our values continue to be a key driver of the Company’s success. On behalf of Team Schein, we are honored to be included on FORTUNE’s list of the ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’.”
Sekisui Diagnostics ranks in top 100 most sustainable corporations
Sekisui has again been included in the 2023 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations In The World Index (2023 Global 100). This marks the sixth consecutive time and the eighth time overall that Sekisui has been part of this important ranking.
The index is published annually by the Canadian company Corporate Knights Inc. It ranks large companies from all sectors worldwide, assessing sustainability performance from the perspective of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. The 100 best performing companies make it onto the list each year. In 2023, Corporate Knights reviewed a total of approximately 6,700 companies.
In keeping with tradition, the index was published at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Sekisui was ranked 84th and was recognized for achievements in multiple evaluation criteria, including sustainable revenue (revenue from sale of products and services that contribute significantly to the environment or society.), sustainable investment (capital expenditure and R&D), and sustainability pay link.
Sekisui has actively worked to solve social issues such as climate change issues. In 2018, it became the first company in the chemical sector to obtain SBT certification. In 2022, a new target was set for the GHG emission reduction rate by 2030.
In its long-term vision, Vision 2030, Sekisui has identified “Innovation for the Earth” as vision statement – planning to make future on earth more livable and create peace of mind to promote a sustainable and innovative society. SEKISUI aims to continue to contribute to solving social problems to drive both the realization of a sustainable society and the growth of the company,” according to a release.
Cardinal Health teams up with Palantir to deliver a clinically integrated supply chain solution
Cardinal Health announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Palantir Technologies, a leading builder of operating systems for the modern enterprise, to design a solution that will give health systems and hospitals dynamic purchase decision insights in order to quickly improve their bottom line.
The Cardinal Health solution, which will be integrated into Foundry, Palantir’s industry-leading operating system, will deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to bring together diagnosis and clinical data with real-time customer purchasing and consumption data for pharmaceutical products with best-in-class data and privacy protections. Future iterations of the tool are expected to help inform purchasing decisions for therapeutic utilization, reimbursement insights and predictive drug inventory needs – to help further improve the connection between health system purchasing and supply chain support.
As hospitals balance increases in drug expenses due to the growth of specialty therapies and biosimilars, health systems are struggling to right-size pharmacy inventory together with constantly evolving payer formulary updates. Cardinal Health’s data-driven solution will mitigate some of these challenges by analyzing real-time clinical and purchasing data to effectively create a clinically-integrated supply chain for pharmaceuticals.
A leader in the data and analytics industry, Palantir launched its Health & Life Sciences division in 2020. Since then, the company has continued to support federal, public and private organizations and is a proven leader in delivering mission-critical software across the public health supply chain.
CVS Health launches new virtual primary care offering, expands access to mental health support
CVS Health launched new virtual care offerings focused on primary care and mental health services. CVS Health® Virtual Primary Care™ is a new virtual care offering that provides primary care, 24/7 on-demand care1 and scheduled mental health services. If in-person follow-up care is needed, a patient can seek care at any in-network provider, including MinuteClinic®.
This program is now available to Aetna® commercial members nationwide enrolled in eligible fully-insured and self-insured health plans. Members can schedule a primary care visit within days with a provider they select and access 24/7 quick care for common illnesses and infections. Through this launch, CVS is also expanding virtual mental health services. Members ages 18 and up enrolled in CVS Health Virtual Primary Care will now have access to virtual mental health support nationwide, seven days a week, from clinicians, including licensed therapists and psychiatrists.
CVS Health Virtual Primary Care has a dedicated practice of board-certified physicians and nurse practitioners who help deliver primary care services through physician-led care teams. These physician-led care teams can consult with CVS® pharmacists to better support patients. To deliver on-demand and mental health services, this dedicated practice is supplemented by MinuteClinic providers consisting of nurse practitioners and licensed clinical social workers (LCSW). In addition, members seeking mental health services will have the ability to consult with psychiatrists.
Members can easily access their health information, including lab results and medications, on the CVS Health DashboardOpens in a new window and they can share their clinical data with other clinicians. The dashboard will also enable the care team to have a comprehensive view of care activity across different sites of care.