Press Releases

DUBLIN, Ohio, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardinal Health, Inc., the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, issued the following statement in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Counterfeit Drug Task Force Public Workshops, being held Feb. 8-9 in Washington, D.C.

Cardinal Health applauds the FDA's leadership in conducting workshops to pursue additional measures to secure the integrity of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain.  Forums such as these are critical to help foster the industry-wide cooperation necessary to maintain and improve supply chain security.  All members of the health care community are needed to assure patients of a safe and effective supply chain of pharmaceuticals.

We endorse implementation of the final Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) rule. Cardinal Health believes that in the short term, the fastest and safest way to further secure the pharmaceutical supply chain is by purchasing medicine directly from the manufacturer and distributing it directly to our customers.  PDMA encourages this approach.

As a leader in supply chain security, Cardinal Health is also comprehensively investigating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) as a promising technology for the future.  The company recently launched a pilot program to tag, distribute and track product through its distribution network to customers.  While we see many benefits of RFID, a number of challenges must be addressed and solved by all participants in the supply chain for this to be an effective solution.  In order for full RFID implementation, there must be industry-wide standardization and use with all products, read-rate accuracy over 99 percent, and technology that is reliable, widely available and affordable.  In addition to RFID, Cardinal Health supports the investigation of other track-and-trace technologies, such as two-dimensional bar codes.

Cardinal Health's logistics network handles one-third of all pharmaceuticals in the United States.  The company partners with all major drug companies and delivers to retail chain and independent pharmacies, mail-order and hospital pharmacies, and to clinics, doctors' offices and other sites of care nationwide.

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $75 billion, global company serving the health-care industry with a broad portfolio of products and services.  Through its diverse offering, Cardinal Health delivers integrated health-care solutions that help customers reduce their costs, improve efficiency and deliver better care to patients.  The company manufactures, packages and distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, offers a range of clinical services and develops automation products that improve the management and delivery of supplies and medication for hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies.  Ranked No. 16 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents.  More information about the company may be found at www.cardinalhealth.com.