Dr. Eric Edwards, co-founder and CEO of Richmond-based Phlow Corp.
Richmond-based Phlow Corp. announced Thursday the launch of a coalition that will help ensure that children’s hospitals across the country receive key medications. The Virginia Commonwealth University-affiliated Children’s Hospital of Richmond is one of 11 founding hospital members.
Children’s Hospital Coalition (CHC) aims to provide certainty in availability and access to medicine and address supply chain issues. Citing a 2019 survey of 330 American hospitals — including 29 children’s hospitals — Phlow says that medicine shortages disproportionately and uniquely impact children’s hospitals. The company also says that the pandemic has further exposed the vulnerabilities of the supply chain.
“These hospitals have come together alongside Phlow in order to ensure that all children will have access to the critical medicines necessary to sustain life and conquer disease,” said Dr. Eric Edwards, co-founder, president and CEO of Phlow, in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. “Children’s hospitals are directly impacted by essential medicine shortages, and many manufacturers have not been able to produce key medicines that are specially formulated … for children.”
