CLEVELAND — Italo Pennella has been named as the new vice president of pharmacy at ECRM.
The Cleveland-based marketing and business solution provider said this week that Pennella has extensive knowledge of the pharmacy supply chain and years of experience in improving companies’ competitive advantage via cost reduction, customer support, partnering, process improvement and strategic sourcing. His other areas of expertise include marketing, best practices, mentoring, negotiations, project management and strategic planning.
"We are excited to have Pennella as part of our team and look forward to his support and insights to our rapidly growing pharmacy events. His diverse background will benefit him in his role to expand all areas of pharmacy at ECRM," Charlie Bowlus, founder and chief executive officer of ECRM, said in a statement.
Pennella previously served as associate director of trade for Otsuka and Schering Plough/Organon. He was responsible for commercial distribution operations, including channel optimization strategies, 3PL management, trade development, and the structuring of marketing and channel support programs within REMS, including the specialty pharmacy, specialty distribution, retail, long-term care and hospital markets, according to ECRM.
In addition, Pennella has held a variety of senior manager positions at food and drug retailer Albertsons, including oversight of all brand manufacturer relationships. Over a more than 10-year career at Albertsons, he served as a practicing pharmacist; a pharmacy manager, recruiter and trainer; a manager of pharmacy services, a patient compliance manager; a returns manager; a pharmacy category manager; and an operations manager, covering over 750 stores as well as directing 24 district managers.
Besides being a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Pennella has a range of professional affiliations, including membership in the American Pharmacists Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Healthcare Distribution Management Association.
