Angels for Change 2024 Drug Shortage Guardian Awarded to Fresenius Kabi USA
Tampa, Fla. - [May 16, 2024] -- Angels for Change, a global non-profit on a mission to end drug shortages, presented the organization’s 2024 Drug Shortage Guardian Award to Fresenius Kabi USA, a health care company that specializes in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion, and clinical nutrition.
Fresenius Kabi USA received the award in recognition of its exceptional teamwork and patient focus during the critical chemotherapy shortages of 2023. The patient-centric focus and culture of Fresenius Kabi enabled the company to rapidly increase output and urgently steward emergency supply to thousands of customers and patients in need of critical therapies.
The Drug Shortage Guardian Award is presented annually to an organization and its people for exhibiting exceptional patient-centered work during a drug shortage crisis. Angels for Change defines a guardian as a “defender; one who guards, protects those in need.”
“It is important to recognize individuals within the supply chain for extraordinary, patient-focused work. In highlighting gold-standard work we foster change and support building the resilient supply chain of the future. We are proud to present our 2024 Guardian Award to Fresenius Kabi and its amazing employees who tirelessly strive to ensure patient access to lifesaving medicines across the country, even in dire shortage situations,” said Founder and Chief Change Maker of Angels for Change, Laura Bray.
In addition to recognizing Fresenius Kabi USA, Angels for Change also presented individual Drug Shortage Guardian Awards to two Fresenius employees: Karen Twardzik, Vice President, Customer Service Operations, and Danielle Gross, Manager, Customer Service.
These guardians' extraordinary work and leadership exceeded their normal tasks to navigate within the supply chain to ensure life-saving medicines were delivered to customers and patients experiencing dire shortages. Their heroic efforts helped save lives across the nation.
“At Fresenius Kabi, we exist to put lifesaving medicines and technologies in the hands of people who care for patients. We are honored to receive this recognition from Angels for Change and look forward to supporting the important work of Laura and the mission of Angels for Change. We will continue to do our part to put an end to essential medicine (or drug) shortages,” said John Ducker, president and CEO, Fresenius Kabi, Region U.S.
The awards were presented at Fresenius Kabi’s U.S. headquarters in Lake Zurich, Ill. where Fresenius Kabi USA leadership and employees joined Angels for Change founder Laura Bray during the award presentation. Following this meeting another presentation occurred at nearby Melrose Park Ill. where Fresenius Kabi operates a state-of-the art sterile injectable manufacturing site. Here, Bray presented a guardian award to Fresenius Kabi frontline workers who have worked tirelessly to increase supply of needed medicines for patients.
About Angels for Change
Angels for Change is a volunteer-supported, global, 501c3 organization started in Tampa, Fla. that is 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 three life-saving drug shortages in nine 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 Fresenius Kabi USA
Fresenius Kabi, an operating company of Fresenius, is a global healthcare organization that specializes in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition. The company’s products and services are used for the therapy and care of patients with critical and chronic conditions. The company is actively involved in efforts to end drug shortages, has invested nearly a billion dollars in U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, and is a past recipient of a Drug Shortage Assistance Award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. www.fresenius-kabi.com/us/