Civica Rx, the nonprofit generic drug company formed by several health systems, has inked a deal to develop and manufacture its own drugs.
Civica has signed a seven-year agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop Civica-owned abbreviated new drug applications.
Through the partnership, Civica will begin to build its internal pipeline of medications.
At first, the Thermo Fisher collaboration will focus on nine critical medications that have been in shortage or are at risk of being in shortage because they only have one manufacturer.
Civica said owning its own drugs is a key component of its manufacturing strategy and will further mitigate the risk of drug shortages in the future.
To date, Civica has only worked with drug manufacturers that already have FDA-approved manufacturing plants and the capacity to produce Civica-labeled drugs. Those partnerships were struck to get medications in shortage to the market more quickly, the company said.
"We are thrilled to enter into a partnership with a world-class organization that is dedicated to helping Civica serve patients," said Martin VanTrieste, Civica's president and CEO. "The Thermo Fisher team is known for top manufacturing talent, supply reliability, product quality and innovation. We look forward to working with them to develop and produce Civica medicines."