The core mission of pharmaceutical distribution — secure, efficient and reliable healthcare delivery — provides more than 180 million patients across the United States with efficient and low-cost access to more than 4 billion prescription medicines each year. But distributors’ work does not end there.

With 2020 underway, HDA’s John M. Gray provided perspective on the vital role of pharmaceutical distributors and the Alliance’s policy priorities as part of Chain Drug Review’s annual “Pharmacy Outlook” feature.

October is American Pharmacists Month, which provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate how pharmacists support patients’ health and wellness in communities across the country.

As the logistics experts of healthcare, distributors deliver millions of prescription medicines and healthcare products to hundreds of thousands of providers, including pharmacies, hospitals and healthcare facilities, across the country. But their relationships with these customers is about more than just delivery — distributors offer additional services that allow their customers to focus on patients and remain competitive in the marketplace.

In an opinion piece published today in the Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill, HDA and NACDS called on members of Congress to honor its commitment to protecting patients and the safety of the supply chain by rejecting any proposal that would call for the importation of prescription drugs from foreign markets.