DSCSA dominates HDMA Distribution Management Annual Conference
The broad changes taking place in the pharma supply chain this year are a relevant focus for the annual conference and exhibition
HDMA’s annual Distribution Management Conference and Expo, to be held in Orlando, FL on March 8—11, is occurring as the industry gears up for the long-planned, long-argued traceability mandate created by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act of 2013 (DSCSA; see related traceability feature). Because of a last-minute, four-month delay in rule enforcement of the first stage of DSCSA by FDA, manufacturers and wholesalers will be fine-tuning the systems they have set up in readiness for a new, May 1 enforcement date. So it seems a logical step to focus on DSCSA implementations at this meeting.
At least five sessions, based on the preliminary HDMA program as of early January, were being scheduled to examine aspects of DSCSA. Topics include a Washington legal perspective on the law, changes in state regulatory rules, technical discussions on data exchange, and perspectives from other industries that have undergone a supply chain traceability transformation.
Keynote addresses are being offered by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, a business consultant and author, on the implications of Big Data in business and society; and Ben Saunders, a polar explorer and endurance athlete. Katty Kay, lead anchor of BBC World News North America, is also scheduled to address goings-on in Washington.
Other business-related sessions will deal with distribution issues relating to cold chain management, supply chain security, product life cycle stages, and controlled substances, among others. A session devoted to the statistics of HDMA’s annual Factbook, developed by the association’s Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research, and the annual “What’s In, What’s Out” overview of pharma industry trends by IMS Health’s Doug Long will put a business-planning focus on the meeting.
This annual meeting is also the occasion of the presentation of Distribution Management Awards by HDMA.
The meeting’s expo hall will be open from mid-day Monday, March 9, to the evening of March 10. A list of exhibitors scheduled to attend, as of early January, follows. Registration details are available at www.hdmanet.org. Pharmaceutical Commerce will also have a presence at the meeting; look us up!
AFS Shipping Cost Management
Shreveport, LA
EAM-Mosca Corp.
Hazle Township, PA
Legisym, LLC
Temple, TX
Schaefer Systems International, Inc.
Charlotte, NC
AmeriCares
Stamford, CT
ELPRO Services, Inc.
Marietta, OH
Manhattan Associates
Atlanta, GA
Sensitech, Inc.
Beverly, MA
ARCO Design/Build, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Excellis Health Solutions
New Hope, PA
Pharmaceutical Dimensions
Greensboro, NC
ValueCentric, LLC
Orchard Park, NY
BuzzeoPDMA, A Cegedim Company
Bedminster, NJ
Guaranteed Returns
Holbrook, NY
PharmaLink, Inc.
Largo, FL
Woodfield Distribution, LLC
Boca Raton, FL
Dispensary of Hope
Nashville, TN
KNAPP Logistics Automation, Inc.
Kennesaw, GA
Revitas, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
