Vizient Essential Medications List Updated with 12 Additional Drugs

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vizient, Inc. today announced 12 additional drugs have been added to its essential medications list whose absence would threaten hospitals’ ability to provide high quality, timely patient care. The newly added drugs are: acetaminophen, ammonul, clobazam, copper, erythromycin, glucarpidase, ibuprofen, indomethacin, levetiracetam, selenium, tobramycin and zinc. The complete list of essential medications is here.

“We are sharing our list of essential medications to increase awareness of the fragility of the supply chain. We encourage current manufacturers to increase the available supply of these drugs and for a continued focus across the industry to ensure the stability and resiliency of these products,” said Dan Kistner, PharmD, group senior vice president, pharmacy solutions for Vizient.

Vizient has now designated 211 medications as essential. To compile and update its list, Vizient conducts a comprehensive review of the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines list, the Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support algorithms as well as gathered direct input of front-line clinicians from Vizient’s member health systems. After review and analysis, Vizient’s pharmacy experts identify the medications that would be considered essential to the delivery of patient care using one of the three following definitions:

• Acute treatment drugs with no alternatives — Products used in acute and critical circumstances to sustain life and for which no alternatives are presently available
• Chronic treatment drugs with no alternatives — Products used in chronic disease states or conditions where no alternatives are presently available
• High impact drugs — Products for which alternatives are available, but may be less clinically desirable and/or are more operationally difficult to use; also reflects products where the absence of one medication can affect therapeutically-related drugs

The 12 medications included in the update are all acute or chronic treatment drugs with no alternatives.

Of the 211 drugs designated by Vizient as essential, over 40% are currently included in its private label program, Novaplus^®. For medications in the Novaplus Enhanced Supply program, an additional six months’ supply of medications (based on historical usage by Vizient members) are required to be warehoused in the United States.

“We will regularly review the list drugs we have identified as essential and update it as appropriate to help increase awareness of these medications and their importance in the healthcare supply chain for meeting patient needs,” said Kistner.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 95% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $100 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.

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