Tampa, Florida – June 22, 2022— In March 2022, Angels for Change, announced a historic move to enter the grantmaking space to reduce patient-level impact of drug shortages. Today Angels for Change announces that their first grant recipient STAQ Pharma, Inc. has already increased capacity and supply resulting in more than 100,000 life-saving treatments.
“Since our founding, Angels for Change has been ending drug shortages for our most vulnerable patients. As we work to end all healthcare crises created by drug shortages, we are advocating for, and supporting, pro-active, public-private partnerships at the beginning of the supply chain to create more resiliency reducing patient impact,” Said Laura Bray, founder and Chief Change Maker at Angels for Change.
The goal of the pilot grant was to bolster the supply chain by reducing a manufacturer’s barriers to entry, thus facilitating added capacity and supply of an essential medicine vulnerable to shortage. We selected Concentrated Electrolytes as the first vulnerable medicines, specifically Potassium Chloride (KCl) and 23.4% Sodium Chloride (NaCl), and STAQ Pharma, Inc. for the inaugural grant.
There are no replacements for concentrated electrolyte and mineral injections that are needed to produce Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), representing a very serious concern to patients and providers when the drugs are unavailable. Neonates and children are two of the three most vulnerable patient populations reliant on TPN. This leads to a disproportionate drug-shortage impact on children’s hospitals serving these patients. For many years electrolyte and mineral shortages have been an intermittent issue; taking steps to reduce the impact of these shortages is necessary to support patient care.
“From our founding, STAQ’s focus has been providing a reliable supply of ready to administer medicines in the right dose at the right time for pediatric and adult hospital patients. In times of shortage, we believe the 503B Outsourcing Facility is uniquely positioned to help bolster the supply chain for these critical medicines. We are proud to have partnered with Angels for Change on this pilot and hope this is the first of many.” Said Mark Spiecker, President, STAQ Pharma
Since the launch of the pilot 8 weeks ago, 25,000 units of capacity has been added to this vulnerable marketplace, hospitals have accessed 20,000 units of this created supply and 110,000 life-saving essential treatments have been administered to pediatric patients. This needed capacity and supply was created onshore, using flexible manufacturing, funded by a non-profit creating immediate patient impact.
“We are pleased to see the immediate impact this pilot has created for our hospitals. Children’s hospitals have been able to provide needed TPN and other life-saving electrolyte therapies during a time of urgent shortage. The net new supply has enabled our hospitals to ensure uninterrupted care for vulnerable patients.” Said Terri Wilson, Children’s Hospital Association.
Due to the success of this initial pilot Angels for Change will launch details of a full program next month. “I am extremely proud that we were able to work together to have immediate patient impact. One question keeps going through my head; what would the last 8 weeks have been like for patients, physicians, and pharmacists if we hadn’t worked together on this project? We can and we must do more!” Said Bray.
About Angels for Change
Angels for Change is a volunteer supported, global, 501c3 organization started in Tampa, FL on a mission to end drug shortages through advocacy, awareness, and a resilient supply chain. Founder, Laura Bray, was driven to start Angels for Change after her own child faced 3 life-saving drug shortages in 9 months of pediatric cancer treatment. Each day Angels for Change advocates on behalf of any patient in a life-saving drug shortage, while building relationships with patients and members of the pharmaceutical supply chain to end all healthcare crises created by drug shortages. www.angelsforchange.org
About STAQ Pharma Inc.
STAQ Pharma (Safety, Transparency, Availability, Quality) is a 503B Outsourcing facility headquartered in Denver, CO. STAQ is a CGMP manufacturing facility designed to produce compounded medications in prefilled syringes for anesthesia and surgical procedures. STAQ produces sterile to sterile and non-sterile to sterile and relies heavily on automation, ensuring adequate supply and compliance with FDA regulations. STAQ is focused on adult and pediatrics, to ensure that our biggest and littlest patients get the right dose at the right concentrations. You can learn more about us at www.staqpharma.com.
About Children’s Hospital Association
The Children’s Hospital Association is the national voice for more than 220 children’s hospitals. They are advancing child health through innovation in the quality, cost, and delivery of care in children’s hospitals and health systems. About CHA (childrenshospitals.org)