Our introduction to the world of drug shortages came as a result of our daughter’s pediatric cancer diagnosis. We felt helpless when we were told that the drug our daughter needed was unavailable. Then, it happened again. And again. We were told three times in nine months that the medicines needed to fight our daughter’s cancer were on shortage. How could this be happening? These challenges convinced me that something has to be done. As both a business professor interested in problem-solving and best practices and a medically obsessed oncology mom, I threw myself into ending life-saving drug shortages.
Laura Bray, Founder of Angels for Change & her daughter
Doctors must have access to the medicines needed to save patients’ lives. We founded Angels for Change in October 2019 because we believe access to proven medical technology needed to save your life is a fundamental right. Our purpose is to use advocacy and awareness to provide access to life-saving drugs.
We have been blessed with opportunities to advocate for patients and their families, helping to resolve drug shortages one challenge at a time. We are proud that families trust us. We do not take this responsibility lightly. We are so thankful to all the ChangeMakers we have met along the way, who have been willing to go to great lengths to help us resolve each shortage.
However joyous we may feel when we resolve one family’s drug shortage issue, we cannot deny the serious need for longer-lasting systemic solutions. We must work to relieve the pressure points in the medical supply chain that lead to life-saving drug shortages. But it cannot be done in a vacuum and it cannot be done alone. Tackling a problem such as this requires multi-stakeholder participation and multidisciplinary problem-solving.
To further this effort, Angels for Change is launching SummitONE, a supply chain drug shortage summit. Our goal is to bring together high-level decision-makers throughout the drug supply chain to identify solutions that will end drug shortages where they begin. No doctor will have to ever say the words “I’m sorry, we don’t have the drug needed to treat you” and no patient or parent will ever have to hear them.
Our first summit will be held virtually on October 30th, 2020, from 11:00 – 2:30 EST and will focus on pediatric oncology shortages as a pilot for broader future solutions. Angels for Change SummitONE: where advocacy and the best of business problem solving unite for a greater good.
We are grateful that we take on this task with the help of some wonderful partners. We thank McKesson Corporation, Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation, Erin Fox, PharmD, Sr Director, Drug Information and Support Services, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., Deputy Director for Regulatory Programs, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and our Keynote Speaker: Yoram Unguru, MD, MS, MA, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics for supporting this effort.