VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Mar 11, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hospital Patient Safety and Efficiency to Be Improved With
Products and Services
AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC), one of the largest
pharmaceutical services companies in the U.S., today said it has the
broadest array of solutions to help pharmaceutical manufacturers and
hospitals respond to the Food and Drug Administration's new barcode
regulations. The recently announced regulations require, within the
next two years, supermarket-like barcodes on most pharmaceuticals and
blood products used in hospitals.
"We are pleased that the FDA has taken this important step towards
significantly improving patient medication safety," said Kurt
Hilzinger, President and Chief Operating Officer of AmerisourceBergen.
"We are committed to utilizing our broad array of scalable and fully
integrated barcode-enabled products and services to help both
manufacturers and healthcare providers comply with the new rule and
improve the quality of patient care delivered in America."
AmerisourceBergen is a leader in packaging pharmaceuticals
directly for manufacturers, and also repackaging products into unit
dose formats for providers, using barcodes at every step of the
process to enhance product tracking capabilities. "With our experience
in fulfilling barcoded packaging needs for both manufacturers and end
users, we believe AmerisourceBergen is uniquely positioned to help our
manufacturer customers comply with the FDA's new rule and enhance our
provider customers' patient safety efforts," said Ed Hancock,
President, AmerisourceBergen Packaging Group.
In order to take advantage of the full potential of barcoded
pharmaceuticals, hospitals need the best barcode-enabled technology
available to track medications from the moment they arrive at the
loading dock to the moment they are administered to the patient.
"AmerisourceBergen offers customers an open architecture approach to
improving patient safety. Using both a customer's existing technology
investments as well as our own proprietary technology, we believe we
can offer a uniquely comprehensive and cost effective solution that
measurably improves patient safety," said Rusty Lewis, President,
AmerisourceBergen Technology Group.
Drawing from the strengths of its own AutoMed pharmacy automation
technology, MedSelect barcode-enabled cabinet storage solutions, and
Bridge Medical bedside scanning capabilities, AmerisourceBergen uses
its Choice Systems integrators to seamlessly create a
customer-centered patient safety solution. AutoMed's automation
technology streamlines pharmacy operations by improving inventory
management and automating the dispensing process. AutoMed systems are
used today to package and barcode pharmaceuticals in unit dose format
to enhance tracking and reduce manual picking, thereby reducing the
potential for errors. MedSelect cabinets store pharmaceutical and
medical products by barcode and track cabinet inventory, usage by
patient, usage by provider, and other critical data. Bridge Medical's
barcode point-of-care verification system automates the "Five Rights"
checking process, ensuring that the right patient is receiving the
right drug at the right time in the right dose via the right route.
AmerisourceBergen's technology and expertise combine to offer our
customers the most flexible, most comprehensive approach to using
barcode technology to improve patient safety in the industry.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) is the largest pharmaceutical
services company in the United States dedicated solely to the
pharmaceutical supply chain. It is the leading distributor of
pharmaceutical products and services to the hospital market,
physician's offices, alternate care and mail order facilities, and
independent and chain pharmacies. The Company is also a leader in the
long term care pharmacy marketplace, the workers' compensation
fulfillment business and contract packaging for manufacturers. With
more than $45 billion in annualized operating revenue,
AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs
more than 14,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #24 on the
Fortune 500 list and was ranked #6 in the 2003 Business Week 50, a
list of the 50 best performing companies in the S & P 500. For more
information, go to www.amerisourcebergen.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
are based on management's current expectations and are subject to
uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary
materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements may include statements
addressing future financial and operating results of AmerisourceBergen
and the benefits and other aspects of the 2001 merger between
AmeriSource Health Corporation and Bergen Brunswig Corporation.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to
differ materially from those described in any forward-looking
statements: competitive pressures; the loss of one or more key
customer relationships; customer insolvencies; changes in customer
mix; changes in pharmaceutical manufacturers' pricing and distribution
policies; regulatory changes; changes in U.S. government policies;
failure to integrate the businesses of AmeriSource and Bergen Brunswig
successfully; failure to obtain and retain expected synergies from the
merger of AmeriSource and Bergen Brunswig; and other economic,
business, competitive, regulatory and/or operational factors affecting
the business of AmerisourceBergen generally.
More detailed information about these factors is set forth in
AmerisourceBergen's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2003.
AmerisourceBergen is under no obligation to (and expressly
disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter any forward looking
statements whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
SOURCE: AmerisourceBergen Corporation
AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Valley Forge
Barbara Brungess, 610-727-7199
bbrungess@amerisourcebergen.com
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