European healthcare logistics association launched

A new European association has been set up to raise the profile of the healthcare supply chain industry among policy makers and the public and private healthcare sectors.

The European Association for Healthcare Logistics and Transport (EALTH) will represent the leading pharmaceutical logistics service providers across Europe and wants to increase awareness of the “expertise and knowledge of professionals involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain”.

One of its founding members is DHL, whose managing director of life sciences and healthcare Eddy De Vita has been elected vice president of EALTH.

De Vita said: "EALTH is an extremely important pharmaceutical sector initiative as it represents the first not-for-profit European association for logistics and transportation in the healthcare sector.

“Joining this association from the very beginning provides us with a strategic opportunity to achieve the aim of sharing best distribution practice, in particular by improving security in the healthcare supply chain all over Europe."

The Association's president is Dr Jean-Francois Fusco, who is European pharmaceutical general manager at French distribution firm Aexxdis.

He said: "We are delighted to work with DHL and together with other members seeking improvements for the European healthcare supply chain."