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EDSA Announces 2025 Catalyst Award Honorees, Celebrating ‘Progress Through Partnership’ in Strengthening Drug Supply Resilience Wilmington, Del. — December 9, 2025 — The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) today announces the honorees of the inaugural EDSA Catalyst Awards, celebrating meaningful impact in expanding access to essential medicines for patients. Reflecting this year’s theme, “Progress Through Partnership,” the 2025 Catalyst Awards honorees exemplify leadership, innovative collaboration, and lifelong dedication to strengthen the resilience of the drug supply chain. EDSA Leadership Award: Mittal Sutaria, Vizient The EDSA Leadership Award honors an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the collective effort to prevent and resolve drug shortages. Mittal Sutaria, Senior Vice President for Vizient pharmacy contract and program services, leads oversight for the company’s Novaplus® Enhanced Supply Reserve program which provides health-system clients access to more than 150 million units of buffer inventory of essential medications warehoused in the U.S. The program has provided access to more than five million units of essential medications during drug shortages, offering a vital safety buffer for patient care. Under Sutaria’s leadership, Vizient played a pivotal role in founding EDSA in 2021 by converting a bold vision—uniting diverse industry representation from across the drug-supply ecosystem—into a collaborative, industry-wide initiative. Sutaria continues to guide the Alliance’s direction as an advisory board member, underscoring Vizient’s central role within EDSA, and reinforcing the company’s dedication to building a more robust and reliable drug-supply system. Outstanding Industry Collaboration: Project PROTECT (Angels for Change, STAQ Pharma, and Children’s Hospital Association) The Outstanding Industry Collaboration award recognizes a multi-stakeholder partnership that has demonstrably improved drug access. This year’s award salutes the three architects of Project PROTECT: Angels for Change, STAQ Pharma, and Children's Hospital Association. Project PROTECT unites diverse stakeholders, including hospitals, advocacy groups, manufacturers, and supply chain experts under a shared mission to stabilize the drug supply chain. From back-of-the-napkin ideas to concrete actions and structure, these partners developed a model to prevent and mitigate essential medicine shortages by building redundant onshore supply. Their commitment and ingenuity led to a successful program that improves access when shortages occur. Since 2022, Project PROTECT proactively prevents shortages by funding and supporting 503B outsourcing facilities like STAQ Pharma to manufacture critical medications—such as magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and methotrexate before supply disruptions occur. To date, this model has protected more than 750,000 patient treatments, mostly children across the United States. Lifetime Achievement in Drug Shortage Prevention: Erin Fox, University of Utah Health The Lifetime Achievement in Drug Shortage Prevention award honors a career-long dedication to improving drug supply resilience. At University of Utah Health, Erin Fox is Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer – Shared Services, responsible for drug information and drug policy, pharmacy informatics, purchasing, billing, 340B, and antimicrobial stewardship. In 2001, she began developing a clearinghouse of standardized drug shortage information. Stemming from her leadership, she and her team now provide this critical information for the ASHP Drug Shortage Resource Center. Fox has spent decades advancing innovation, integrity, and collaboration across the healthcare and manufacturing landscape, building a legacy that continues to shape the field. She has become a global thought leader known for her work tracking drug shortages, advising policymakers, and pushing for more transparency in the drug supply chain. The tracking she initiated more than 20 years ago has given way to a much higher level of recognition and advocacy today, resulting in a significant difference in helping hospitals and patients get the medications they need. “True change happens when industry works together,” said April Giles, Executive Director of EDSA. “The Catalyst Awards were conceived to honor individuals and organizations whose actions spark progress across the healthcare ecosystem, turning partnership into lasting impact. EDSA congratulates and thanks all of the honorees for their commitment and dedication.” The honorees were revealed at the 2025 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 7, 2025, during a special reception to spotlight those shaping the future of medication access. The 2025 EDSA Catalyst Awards were made possible with support from the following organizations: Awards Program Sponsors: Baxter, Cencora, and Pfizer Hospital Reception Sponsors: Civica Rx, McKesson, STAQ Pharma, USP, and Vizient. Download Event Photos Here About End Drug Shortages Alliance The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) is a collaboration of healthcare industry stakeholders, including providers, group purchasing organizations, manufacturers, distributors and other industry thought leaders dedicated to solving the pharmaceutical supply challenges that disrupt access to essential medications in the U.S. We prioritize initiatives focused on transparency, quality, redundancy and production of additional supply to achieve undisrupted access to essential medications for healthcare providers and patients. Media Contact Megan Duggan, Primavera Group megan@theprimaveragroup.com
EDSA Announces 2025 Catalyst Award Honorees, Celebrating ‘Progress Through Partnership’ in Strengthening Drug Supply Resilience
Wilmington, Del. — December 9, 2025 — The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) today announces the honorees of the inaugural EDSA Catalyst Awards, celebrating meaningful impact in expanding access to essential medicines for patients. Reflecting this year’s theme, “Progress Through Partnership,” the 2025 Catalyst Awards honorees exemplify leadership, innovative collaboration, and lifelong dedication to strengthen the resilience of the drug supply chain.
EDSA Leadership Award: Mittal Sutaria, Vizient
The EDSA Leadership Award honors an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the collective effort to prevent and resolve drug shortages. Mittal Sutaria, Senior Vice President for Vizient pharmacy contract and program services, leads oversight for the company’s Novaplus® Enhanced Supply Reserve program which provides health-system clients access to more than 150 million units of buffer inventory of essential medications warehoused in the U.S. The program has provided access to more than five million units of essential medications during drug shortages, offering a vital safety buffer for patient care.
Under Sutaria’s leadership, Vizient played a pivotal role in founding EDSA in 2021 by converting a bold vision—uniting diverse industry representation from across the drug-supply ecosystem—into a collaborative, industry-wide initiative. Sutaria continues to guide the Alliance’s direction as an advisory board member, underscoring Vizient’s central role within EDSA, and reinforcing the company’s dedication to building a more robust and reliable drug-supply system.
Outstanding Industry Collaboration: Project PROTECT (Angels for Change, STAQ Pharma, and Children’s Hospital Association)
The Outstanding Industry Collaboration award recognizes a multi-stakeholder partnership that has demonstrably improved drug access. This year’s award salutes the three architects of Project PROTECT: Angels for Change, STAQ Pharma, and Children's Hospital Association. Project PROTECT unites diverse stakeholders, including hospitals, advocacy groups, manufacturers, and supply chain experts under a shared mission to stabilize the drug supply chain.
From back-of-the-napkin ideas to concrete actions and structure, these partners developed a model to prevent and mitigate essential medicine shortages by building redundant onshore supply. Their commitment and ingenuity led to a successful program that improves access when shortages occur.
Since 2022, Project PROTECT proactively prevents shortages by funding and supporting 503B outsourcing facilities like STAQ Pharma to manufacture critical medications—such as magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and methotrexate before supply disruptions occur. To date, this model has protected more than 750,000 patient treatments, mostly children across the United States.
Lifetime Achievement in Drug Shortage Prevention: Erin Fox, University of Utah Health
The Lifetime Achievement in Drug Shortage Prevention award honors a career-long dedication to improving drug supply resilience. At University of Utah Health, Erin Fox is Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer – Shared Services, responsible for drug information and drug policy, pharmacy informatics, purchasing, billing, 340B, and antimicrobial stewardship. In 2001, she began developing a clearinghouse of standardized drug shortage information. Stemming from her leadership, she and her team now provide this critical information for the ASHP Drug Shortage Resource Center.
Fox has spent decades advancing innovation, integrity, and collaboration across the healthcare and manufacturing landscape, building a legacy that continues to shape the field. She has become a global thought leader known for her work tracking drug shortages, advising policymakers, and pushing for more transparency in the drug supply chain. The tracking she initiated more than 20 years ago has given way to a much higher level of recognition and advocacy today, resulting in a significant difference in helping hospitals and patients get the medications they need.
“True change happens when industry works together,” said April Giles, Executive Director of EDSA. “The Catalyst Awards were conceived to honor individuals and organizations whose actions spark progress across the healthcare ecosystem, turning partnership into lasting impact. EDSA congratulates and thanks all of the honorees for their commitment and dedication.”
The honorees were revealed at the 2025 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 7, 2025, during a special reception to spotlight those shaping the future of medication access.
The 2025 EDSA Catalyst Awards were made possible with support from the following organizations: Awards Program Sponsors: Baxter, Cencora, and Pfizer Hospital Reception Sponsors: Civica Rx, McKesson, STAQ Pharma, USP, and Vizient.
Download Event Photos Here
About End Drug Shortages Alliance
The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) is a collaboration of healthcare industry stakeholders, including providers, group purchasing organizations, manufacturers, distributors and other industry thought leaders dedicated to solving the pharmaceutical supply challenges that disrupt access to essential medications in the U.S. We prioritize initiatives focused on transparency, quality, redundancy and production of additional supply to achieve undisrupted access to essential medications for healthcare providers and patients.
Media Contact
Megan Duggan, Primavera Group
megan@theprimaveragroup.com