HDA Statement on the PREVENT Pandemics Act
March 15, 2022ARLINGTON, Va. — The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) applauds the leadership of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Chairwoman Murray (D-Wash.) and Ranking Member Burr (R-N.C.) for introducing the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act), a bipartisan public health effort to build stronger national medical preparedness and response systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overwhelming support for the legislation during the HELP Committee markup today, March 15, showed that Congress is making significant, positive steps towards reforms necessary to ensure the availability of lifesaving pharmaceutical treatments and medical supplies in response to future crises.
The legislation is the result of more than a year of bipartisan work and valuable feedback from many stakeholders, including HDA, to integrate lessons learned during the nation’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HDA President and CEO Chester “Chip” Davis, Jr., released the following statement regarding the PREVENT Pandemics Act:
“HDA and our members proudly support the PREVENT Pandemics Act as a path toward a more coordinated national response to future public health emergencies. This is the most comprehensive piece of U.S. legislation that has been introduced to address public health preparedness to pandemics and other natural disasters, and we are pleased that the bill includes provisions to strengthen public-private partnerships to bolster the Strategic National Stockpile and the distribution of critical medicines and supplies.
"Now is the time to put these policies in place and implement the lessons learned over the last two years. HDA members provide the logistics expertise, inventory management and technology required to keep pharmacy and hospital shelves stocked with the medicines that patients need, fulfilling an estimated 93 percent of all U.S. pharmaceutical sales. We are proud to contribute our expertise to make sure that the national response to future challenges such as COVID-19 shows more coordinative resolve and resilience than ever before.
"We look forward to further engaging with the Senate on this bipartisan legislation and we sincerely thank HELP Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and Ranking Member Richard Burr for championing this critically important legislation.”
Background Information
PREVENT Pandemics Act Section-by-section Guide
Full Legislative Text of PREVENT Pandemics Act
About HDA
The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) represents primary pharmaceutical distributors — the vital link between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide. Since 1876, HDA has helped members navigate regulations and innovations to get the right medicines to the right patients at the right time, safely and efficiently. The HDA Research Foundation, HDA’s nonprofit charitable foundation, serves the healthcare industry by providing research and education focused on priority healthcare supply chain issues.