Australasian Healthcare Innovation Group Launched

Pfizer Inc. praises supply chain reform

Press Release 23 November 2006

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Inaugural meeting Wednesday 25 October 2006

A group of Australasian healthcare businesses may be the most advanced in the world when it comes to supply chain innovation.

This claim was made by Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services, Pfizer Inc., and keynote speaker at the October launch of the GS1 Australasian Healthcare User Group Local Interest Team (HUGLIT™).

“Australians are doing a lot of work on eCommerce and with data synchronisation, you have the advantage of using clean data,” he said. “If you continue doing all this great work in a timely manner at the market level, you are the leaders. If you’ve developed a successful model and have great success stories, then why wouldn’t you allow the rest of the world to leverage that? That will be the benefit of the HUGLIT – a direct link to the world’s most influential healthcare retailers, hospitals, regulatory bodies, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers.”

Mr Hollander, also Co-Chair of the GS1 Global Healthcare User Group (HUG™), said that Europe and the USA could learn a lot about how Australasia is using the GS1 System.

“The Australasian HUGLIT will give Australia and New Zealand’s work global exposure. I can’t think of any market around the world that doesn’t have a lot to learn about what GS1 and the Healthcare sector is doing here.”

Driven jointly by GS1 Australia and GS1 New Zealand, the Australasian HUGLIT will work together with participants of the HUG, which includes 3M, B. Braun, Baxter, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, and Wyeth among others. The HUG has a mission to lead the healthcare industry to the effective utilisation and development of the GS1 System to improve patient safety. The initial primary focus for the group is automatic identification using GS1 standards for numbering structures and data carriers (e.g. bar codes and radio frequency identification).

Whilst aligning with the HUG focus, the HUGLIT will also undertake Australasian specific work areas: “Australia and New Zealand are an important part of the global supply chain,” said Ms Maria Palazzolo, CEO of GS1 Australia. “This is our opportunity to provide a local voice, local perspective, and local experience to the global standards process. The HUGLIT is an important step in building a strong channel between us and global industry so we can have a voice and contribute to how global supply chains are managed.”

Reinforcing this desire was the presence of senior representatives from manufacturers of healthcare devices and pharmaceuticals, healthcare wholesalers, government departments, hospitals and tertiary education institutions at the HUGLIT meeting, including 3M, Abbott, CH2, and Welch Allyn.

Mr Hollander said Pfizer was involved in the Global HUG because it made sound business sense. “I am involved in the HUG because we must establish global standards if the pharmaceutical and medical device supply chain is going to be effective in addressing patient safety concerns when it comes to electronic commerce and automatic identification. With these standards in place, we should all able to achieve our objectives quicker and with lower overall cost burden,” he said.

“When it comes to cost burden, while as an industry, we always try to minimise costs, we also need to be aware of what it will cost the industry if we don’t take action. The HUG and the HUGLIT work hard to ensure standards around technology are developed based on clearly defined business and user requirements, and not based solely on what hardware or software suppliers believe the solutions to be.”

The next Australasian HUGLIT meeting will be held on the 14th December at the GS1 Australian Sydney office.

To find out more about joining, contact Tania Snioch at GS1 Australia on 1300 033 066 or via email.

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(above) Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services, Pfizer Inc. and Co-Chair, GS1 Healthcare User Group (HUG)


(above) Maria Palazzolo, Chief Executive Officer, GS1 Australia with Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services, Pfizer Inc. and Co-Chair, GS1 Healthcare User Group (HUG)


LEFT (above, from left to right) HUGLIT speakers • Ken Nobbs, Manager – Supply Chain, NEHTA (National E-Health Transition Authority) • Gary Hartley, General Manager – Sector Development, GS1 New Zealand • Dr Bruce Anderson, Manager – Governance DHB Funding and Performance Directorate NZ Ministry of Health • Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services, Pfizer Inc., and Co-Chair, GS1 HUG • Sue Schmid, General Manager – Member & Industry Support, GS1 Australia
RIGHT (above) Maria Palazzolo, CEO of GS1 Australia, speaking at the Australasian HUGLIT meeting.


LEFT (above) Rich Hollander, Senior Director of Packaging Services, Pfizer Inc., and Co-Chair, GS1 HUG, speaking at the Australasian HUGLIT meeting.
RIGHT (above) Sue Schmid, General Manager – Member & Industry Support, GS1 Australia, speaking at the Australasian HUGLIT meeting.


LEFT (above) HUGLIT attendees take a Standards in Action tour of GS1 Australia’s interactive Supply Chain Knowledge Centre
RIGHT (above) HUGLIT attendees take a Standards in Action tour of GS1 Australia’s interactive Supply Chain Knowledge Centre (above) Rich Hollander discusses Electronic Product Code enabled RFID product identification (EPC/RFID)

Photos taken at GS1 Australia: Tuesday, 24 October 2006