ALCON : Consumer Alert: Cargo Theft of Novartis, Alcon and Falcon Products

Novartis and its Alcon Division are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry cargo thefts organizations, and law enforcement officials to recover Novartis, Alcon, and Falcon* products that were stolen on July 18, 2011 while being delivered to a customer’s distribution center in Florida. The products stolen are listed below and represent a small portion of each product lot, which have already been distributed within the United States, Puerto Rico, and its territories. Products from the below listed lots that were delivered prior to July 18 are not affected by this event.

*Falcon is a line of generic eye care pharmaceuticals from the Sandoz Division of Novartis.

Anyone who has information regarding this incident, or has received suspicious or unsolicited offers for the specified products after the date of the theft, is encouraged to contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations at 1-800-551-3989 or to visit the OCI Web Site ( http://www.fda.gov/OCI ).

Novartis, Alcon, and Falcon products are delivered in tamper-evident packaging to protect product integrity.  Novartis, Alcon, and the FDA advise physicians, retailers, and consumers to purchase product only from trusted and reliable sources and to check all products for signs of tampering or damage prior to purchase and/or use.  Do not use the product if the packaging appears to have been disturbed in any way.  Be aware that an unusually low price may be an indication that the product may have been stolen.  Stolen medicine may be harmful because it may have been stored at the wrong temperature or humidity or other improper conditions, may degrade or lose potency, become contaminated, or may have been tampered with or handled improperly while outside of the legitimate supply chain. 

All Novartis, Alcon, and Falcon products are safe and effective when used as directed and purchased from legitimate and reputable retail outlets and pharmacies.

Alcon and Falcon eye care products should only be used after consulting with a licensed eye care professional. Only a licensed eye care professional can properly diagnose and treat eye diseases and eye conditions.

Spend Matters: GSK Prescribing Higher EPS through Procurement ...

Among the big pharma companies, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of the most forward-thinking providers when it comes to procurement innovation and execution (more on this in a minute). Here at Spend Matters, we're lucky to count two former GSK procurement executives, Gregg Brandyberry and Jason Magidson, as contributors. Gregg formerly served as GSK's CPO and Jason was charged with driving innovation into procurement processes, technology investment and usage. The legacy of Gregg's and Jason's contributions -- along with that of countless others -- lives on in GSK's ability to deliver earnings results even an environment lacking new blockbusters.

According to GSK's most recent earnings report, net profit, before restructuring charges, was £1.27 billion or just over $2 billion in US dollars for the quarter ending 30 June. Factoring in restructuring charges, net profit still hit £1.11 billion, an impressive number. According to one source covering the latest quarterly performance , "Cost-cutting helped deliver bottom-line improvements, and that drive will continue. The company has already identified another £300 million worth of cuts to annual spending, bringing the restructuring savings to £2.5 billion a year. Plus, GSK is eying more cost reductions, some of which mimic Novartis' efficiency efforts, namely supply-chain and procurement efficiencies, and cash-conversion improvements."

Yet from the Spend Matters perspective, we'd argue that at least historically speaking, GSK has been at the same level (or potentially even ahead) of Novartis in certain areas of procurement and supplier management. A study we conducted in 2008, suggested that GSK along with Eli Lily, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer were the most "Innovative" companies when it came to procurement and related technology adoption and returns. Abbott, Amgen and Novartis came up as "Early Adopters" on the same measurement scale, with over three dozen other companies falling into the Early Majority (e.g., AstraZeneca), Late Majority (e.g., Genzyme) and Laggard categories. Regardless, all the work that GSK has been driving for years in procurement is certainly paying off, with shareholders partaking in the benefits of previous and continuous investment.

- Jason Busch There was an interesting piece earlier this week in the WSJ talking about how GSK (among others) is leveraging reverse auctions on legal spend. Setting aside any opinions on the relative merit of using that approach, you have to give them credit for pushing the envelope. I was at the bleeding edge intersection of reverse auctions and legal spend years ago and have a unique appreciation for what it takes to pull that off in that environment. It is not insignificant. I tip my hat to them.

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