COLUMBIA, S.C. — BDI Pharma Inc., a national distributor of biotech therapies, has formed a specialty pharmaceuticals partnership with Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance LLC, a retail pharmacy and regional wholesaler group.
Under the agreement unveiled Friday, BDI Pharma will exclusively represent Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance members’ interests as the organization’s official specialty distribution arm.
"Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance has recognized the varied requirements that today’s generation of biopharmaceuticals demand," Brian Huckle, chief executive officer of the Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance, said in a statement. He added that the pact with BDI will "provide the manufacturing community with the greatest possible access to those resources necessary to effect the level of control and management necessary for these unique pharmaceuticals."
The Overland Park, Kan.-based alliance provides chainlike services to a national network of more than 5,300 independent pharmacies and is owned and operated by nine regional wholesalers: Burlington Drug, Dakota Drug, Dik Drug, King Drug, KinRay, NC Mutual Drug, Rochester Drug, Smith Drug and Value Drug.
"We are pleased to be partnering with the Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance and the excellent organizations represented within this group," commented Ed Steres, vice president of strategic partnerships at Columbia, S.C.-based BDI. "As the specialty distributor arm of the Pharmacy First/Wholesale Alliance, BDI brings a highly specialized sales organization and a valuable limited distribution portfolio as a supplement to the product lines currently being offered by the alliance members to their existing customers, as well to future potential customers."
