Non-profit drug company makes first delivery

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A new non-profit drug company headquartered in Utah has made its first delivery.

Civica Rx was founded in September 2018. The founders say their goal is to make vital drugs more available and affordable to those that need them.

The company has collaborated with three philanthropies, forty health systems and now represents over 1,000 hospitals across forty-six states.

On Wednesday they announced initial deliveries of Vancomycin, which is their first targeted drug.

Vials of the essential antibiotic were sent to Riverton Hospital, which is an Intermountain Healthcare facility.

According to the hospital, the first patient treated with a non-profit delivery of Vancomycin has been released from their care.

“It’s a great goal for anyone in the medical industry to reduce costs,” says Adam Lauritzen of South Jordan. “I’m happy to receive a quality product along with quality care and be one of the first recipients of the first drug manufactured by Civica Rx.”

Officials with Civica Rx say their goal is twofold.

They want to reduce shortages, which will then help provide vital drugs at a more affordable price.

“Which is so difficult in the convoluted drug market,” says Board Chair Dan Liljenquist. “And we’re starting with generic drugs.”

He says they are starting relatively small with this first targeted drug. But he says they’re already seeing exciting results.

We were able to take the market price down by more than fifty percent,” he says. “And that’s terrific.”

Right now they’ve been able to deliver this antibiotic at a heavily reduced price. But in the future the reach could be far wider.

“I mean that’s the goal,” he says. “Systematically to assess where there is price gouging and where there [are] shortages and enter those markets.”