TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teligent , Inc. (NASDAQ: TLGT ) (“Teligent”), a specialty generic pharmaceutical company, averted a national sterile water and sodium chloride crisis by securing inventory to cover 100% of the Canadian Market following a breakdown in the global supply chain.

The hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico this past fall damaged one of the largest sterile water and sodium chloride supplier’s manufacturing plants, crippling supply and causing significant worldwide drug shortages. As a result, healthcare providers were forced to ration supplies or even delay treatments. This could have had dire consequences for patients that required time sensitive and emergency medical procedures.

Sterile water and sodium chloride are essential components in the mixing of medications for injection. These products are used in treatments and medical procedures imperative to patients and caregivers as there are no suitable substitutions. Many of these medications are crucial lifesaving and life enhancing drugs such as cancer medications, antibiotics, and analgesics.

“As a company, we knew we had to mobilize ourselves to mitigate the effects of this crisis on Canadians,” said Mark Mantel, General Manager of Teligent’s Canadian offices. “We utilized every means necessary to ensure a consistent supply and we will continue to ensure that Canadians have access to these critical medications.”

Teligent initiated round-the-clock manufacturing and used multiple “Jumbo Jets”, with the aid of its partner Kuehne + Nagel, to fly product from Europe to Canada to meet hospital and patient demand.

“KN PharmaChain offered safe, secure and timely delivery of these sensitive products. We are proud to help Teligent deliver these critical medications in Canada,” said Alex Strohmeier, Vice President, Head of Airfreight at Kuehne + Nagel.

For five months, Teligent has rationed available inventory distributing over 5 million single dose units among Canadian health care providers. They have secured materials and packaging for their largest production ever – another 8 million single dose units of product to fulfill every surgical need across Canada for the next eight months.

“With the current state of the sodium chloride and sterile water shortages in the Canadian drug supply, Teligent was able to meet the needs of our facilities. This was a joint effort with our supply chain group and the team at Teligent, keeping communications clear and timelines stated and met.  UHN was grateful that Teligent was there to support us and is continuing to support us,” said Alison Branigan, CSCMP, Pharmacy Inventory Services, University Health Network.

Teligent remains committed to providing reliable and uninterrupted supply of sterile water and sodium chloride to the Canadian Market.

“This national drug crisis has underscored our dedication to helping Canadian patients by taking all means necessary to secure supply,” said Jason Grenfell-Gardner, President and CEO of Teligent. “There is nothing more we could ask for than that.”

About Teligent, Inc.

Teligent is a specialty generic pharmaceutical company. We develop, manufacture and market pharmaceutical products for use by doctors, pharmacists, and patients in the United States and Canada. We are passionate about our science and are committed to building a diverse pipeline of topical, injectable, complex and ophthalmic projects.

Learn more about us at  www.teligent.ca .

Teligent, Inc. T: 800.656.0793 F: 800.656.0794 E: communications@teligent.com W:   www.teligent.ca