Vizient’s Novaplus Enhanced Supply Program Enabled Access to 676,000 Additional Units of Propofol as COVID-19 Cases Surged

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vizient, Inc. announced that as cases of COVID-19 began surging in hotspots across the country in March and April, a novel supply program launched in January resulted in the availability of an additional 676,000 units of the sedative propofol, one of six drugs in the anesthetic and sedation class that may be used to intubate and maintain patients on ventilators. Vizient data show that aggregated demand for this drug class spiked as high as 272% in April when compared to January as member hospital ICUs filled with patients. Propofol was one of the first 11 drugs in the new Novaplus Enhanced Supply Program.

“I feel confident that the additional 676,000 units of propofol that were brought to market by the Novaplus Enhanced Supply program have supported the efforts of clinicians on the front lines who are working to save lives,” said Dan Kistner, PharmD, group senior vice president, pharmacy solutions for Vizient. “COVID-19 patients that require a ventilator can be on them for several days if not weeks. It requires constant sedation and propofol is a workhorse drug for clinicians that are caring for these patients.”

The Novaplus Enhanced Supply Program is focused on bringing more resiliency to the health care supply chain for essential medications—acute and chronic care drugs with no alternatives or drugs with limited or less clinically desired alternatives. Supply chain resiliency is created through agreements with suppliers that include:

• Transparency: greater insights into product origin, production, and inventory
• Accountability: strengthened requirements to enable health systems to offer seamless continuity of care through consistent supply
• Commitment to supply: increased predictability of demand to support additional production that is warehoused in the U.S.

“In normal times, hospitals prefer the 20mL vials of propofol for their surgical patients. For COVID patients, demand for the 50mL and 100mL vials spiked because of the extended time they require a ventilator. Demand by Vizient member hospitals for 50mL and 100 mL vials of propofol increased 280% in and April when compared to January,” said Mittal Sutaria, vice president, contracting and program services, pharmacy, for Vizient. “Because of our Novaplus Enhanced Supply contract for propofol, additional product was stocked in U.S. warehouses and ready to ship to hospitals.”

“We are really just in the first inning of the game when it comes to COVID-19. There will continue to be incredible demands on the healthcare supply chain and for essential medications like propofol,” said Kistner. “We believe that Novaplus, and this new contract strategy for essential medications, is the best pharmacy program currently in the marketplace to minimize disruption in product access to members and hospitals generally and, ultimately, improve the continuity of high quality care for patients.”

About Vizient
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.

About the Novaplus Enhanced Supply Program
Novaplus Enhanced Supply program contracted suppliers provide additional inventory of essential products to mitigate supply disruptions and demand surge. Contract terms provide greater predictability and sustainability to drive continued production and supply resiliency. Production transparency requirements increase visibility to anticipate and further mitigate anticipated supply disruptions. By purchasing through Novaplus Enhanced Supply, health care facilities also receive expanded value and benefits built on the foundation of the industry’s longest-run private label program.