Civica Rx partners with Thermo Fisher to advance hospital-led drug production

Civica Rx, the hospital-led nonprofit that aims to produce generic products in short supply in the US, continues to advance its innovative initiative. Most recently, it announced a seven-year collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, to develop and manufacture drugs for which Civica owns the regulatory pathway (primarily, Abbreviated New Drug Applications [ANDAs]). Over the past year, it successfully brought its first batch of drugs to market—18 products already on the market or about to be introduced. An additional nine have been targeted for the Thermo Fisher collaboration.

Over the past several months, Civica Rx formed similar collaborations with generic drugmakers, including Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Exela Pharma Sciences and Hikma Pharmaceuticals. It also opened its headquarters in Lehi, UT.

Civica Rx was established in 2018 by health systems (CommonSpirit Health, HCA Healthcare, Intermountain Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Providence St. Joseph Health, SSM Health, and Trinity Health) and philanthropies (Gary and Mary West Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and Peterson Center on Healthcare) to reduce chronic generic drug shortages and related high prices in the United States. Nearly 50 health systems have joined the effort.

“This moment would not have happened without dozens of health systems coming together to make this work,” said Dan Liljenquist, Lead Architect/Board Chair of Civica Rx, and chief strategy officer at Intermountain Healthcare. “I’m particularly grateful for the health systems that early on took a risk to come forward and say ‘Look, if we can’t solve this, we don’t think anybody can’ and leaned in with us to make it happen.” (Photo shows Liljenquist holding a vial of vancomycin, one of the first Civica Rx products.)

Civica Rx is a response to what is essentially a failure of the US industry to produce generics essential to healthcare, yet are priced too low by the market, or of insufficient volume, to attract manufacturers. (Alternatively, when there is a limited supply, their prices can skyrocket.) Dozens of products remain in short supply, requiring hospital pharmacies to scramble to secure adequate quantities, and even to delay surgeries and other procedures.