HDA at the Bold Bets Healthcare Summit: Strengthening the Supply Chain for the Future
On June 4, healthcare leaders gathered at the Widehall Bold Bets Healthcare Summit to discuss the opportunities and challenges shaping the industry's future. Sponsored by the HDA, Eli Lilly and BD, the event brought together voices from across government, science and industry — including CMS Director of Medicare Chris Klomp and BD Chairman and CEO Tom Polen, among others — to explore topics ranging from artificial intelligence and healthcare affordability to emergency preparedness, innovation and the future of patient care.
HDA’s Chief Policy Officer, Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, joined Widehall's Steve Clemons on stage for a conversation on the critical role distributors play in strengthening the pharmaceutical supply chain. Below are three takeaways from the discussion.
1. Distributors Help Ensure Patients Have Access to Medicines
There are hundreds of thousands of sites of care across the country, from large hospitals to community pharmacies and rural clinics, all requiring on-time, reliable delivery of medicines to serve their patients. Healthcare distributors work tirelessly to deliver lifesaving and routine medicines daily.
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| HDA’s Chief Policy Officer, Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, and Widehall's Steve Clemons on stage at the Bold Bets Healthcare Summit. |
"Distributors do the work of making sure that every facility has the products they need when they need them, while ensuring those products remain secure and stable.”
2. Distributors Are Critical Partners to Pharmacies
Healthcare distributors do more than move medicines; they also support partners across the supply chain.
Pharmacists are among the most accessible points of care in many communities, and distributors' administrative support allows them to focus on what matters most: their patients.
HDA members help pharmacists manage inventory, navigate operational challenges and maintain access to critical medicines.
"Making sure they [pharmacists] have what they need is important. We know pharmacists have been there for us. The question is what we need to do to be there for them."
3. Distributors Are Adapting for the Next Generation of Therapies
Healthcare innovation is advancing rapidly, bringing new treatment options such as CAR T-cell therapies and GLP-1s with the potential to transform patient care. These new therapies present unique supply chain challenges, requiring specialized handling, storage and distribution capabilities. Dr. Louissaint emphasized that the healthcare distribution industry is actively preparing for these changes by investing in the infrastructure, capabilities and partnerships needed to support this next generation of treatments.
"We’re seeing the evolution of cell and gene therapy and personalized medicine. It’s no longer just about getting the right product to the right place at the right time — it’s about ensuring the integrity, traceability and patient-specific journey of every treatment."
Over the past 150 years, distributors have adapted alongside advances in medicine. Now, with bold bets on the table for healthcare, distributors are collaborating across the supply chain to ensure that a system that has worked well continues to evolve and strengthen to support future innovations.
Watch the full discussion here and learn more at www.hda.org/health-delivered.