Patterson Companies announced that it is formalizing its efforts to promote supply chain integrity for its dental customers to help protect against potentially unsafe dental products entering the marketplace.
The company's program will ensure that products distributed through its Patterson Dental business are sourced directly from the manufacturer and not through channels carrying discounted gray-market products, according to the company.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the term "gray market" generally refers to products that are sold outside the established distribution chain, typically at a deeply discounted price (e.g., products intended to be sold abroad, but instead imported and sold in the U.S.).
"The program that we will put in place is designed to help protect our dental customers and their patients from products that may be potentially unsafe," said Paul Guggenheim, president of Patterson Dental. "By further reinforcing the integrity of Patterson's supply chain, we can safeguard against the distribution of products that may be unsafe, have been mishandled, or are illegal."
