For over 180 years, McKesson has led the industry in the delivery of medicines and healthcare products to pharmacies, hospitals, and other sites of care—including timely and safe delivery of vital pharmaceuticals and medical supplies during emergencies and catastrophic events.
Supply Chain Resiliency
With our deep expertise in pharmaceutical distribution, analytics, and information technology, we are committed to help address the multitude of issues contributing to drug shortages.
A diverse set of root causes means that there is no single “silver bullet” solution to ending drug shortages. While each drug shortage is unique, our country can build supply chain resiliency by understanding root causes and deploying targeted solutions to enhance the reimbursement and market access landscape, incentivize supply preservation programs, and improve supply chain visibility.
To learn more about our public policy recommendations, please read our recent white paper (PDF, 350 KB).
Working with governments to deliver during emergencies
We encourage Congress to incorporate these recommendations into current or future legislation on pandemic preparedness.
- Recognizing the Role of Distributors: Fully leverage the expertise of the commercial distribution channel when contemplating the next-generation Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
- Valuing Public-Private Partnerships: Incorporate a vendor-managed inventory network into the SNS to support supply chain readiness and sufficient inventory reserve
- Enhancing the Centralized Data Tower: More robust and bi-directional data sharing to provide visibility of stockpile inventory and sourcing of product by governments, commercial partners, and others
- Centralizing Public Health Management Infrastructure: Support a centralized management approach, where the infrastructure remains in place to facilitate seamless and highly coordinated mobilization by the government and its commercial partners
- Revitalizing the Frontline Healthcare Workforce: Provide adequate reimbursement to health care professionals like pharmacists for certain primary care services and ensure sustained inclusion in future emergency response. Foster a robust public health data-infrastructure that allows for integration of data across settings and providers
We work with state legislatures and state emergency response agencies to ensure pharmaceuticals can be delivered during a state of emergency. We encourage state legislators and policymakers to adopt procedures that would:
- Classify pharmaceutical and medical supply delivery trucks as essential vehicles with authority to make deliveries;
- Direct appropriate local or state agencies to include pharmaceutical and medical supply distributors in any emergency preparedness plans and establish a process to assist with road access during states of emergency.