Drug Shortages have always been in the forefront of concerns for the Pharmacy Buyer. Recently, this issue has been given national scrutiny, as everyone from professional organizations to governmental agencies is using their resources to "fix" the problem. One faction that has been put in the center of this crisis is the Secondary, or Specialty Distributor. While no explanation is needed to define their function, much discussion has been generated as to their worth.
   The National Pharmacy Purchasing Association hears both sides of this issue from their membership. Due to the divisive atmosphere on this controversial issue, NPPA has put up this new web page, so that members can study all sides and perspectives of this topic. 
   Included on this page are links to the recent news from Congress on their investigations of the Secondary Market; a report and analysis by Premier Inc., and reports from the National Coalition of Pharmaceutical Distributors (NCPD), including one that they presented to Congress. Then find a Statement that we here at NPPA put out on the topic (as published in NPPA’s October edition of Pharmacy Purchasing Outlook). Lastly find a link on the recent news from the White House on October 31: President Obama introduces an Executive Order to help combat drug shortages. In addition, we have setup a new subsection in our online Pharmacy Buyer Forum which is linked to here: “Commentary - Shortages & Secondaries” (under the Product Issues section), so that we can hear from all on this controversial topic.