Non-profit generic pharmaceutical company Civica announced on Wednesday that Avera, a nonprofit healthcare provider in the Upper Midwest United States, has joined the company in helping protect patients from the impact of drug shortages of essential generic sterile injectable medicines.

Under the Civica model, hospitals enter market-stabilising contracts directly with the company, avoiding middlemen players. Doctors and pharmacists at member hospitals choose the drugs that Civica provides. Civica says that it offers all members the same cost-plus price for these products, regardless of hospital size, and strives to provide six months of buffer inventory. The company also prioritises US-based suppliers.

"The partnership with Civica helps us better serve our patients by providing them the medicines they need at point of care," said Thomas Johnson, Avera vice president of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services. "Civica offers us an additional tool to ensure stability of supply and predictability of cost for medications, allowing us to focus our time on our priority: our patients."