Cardinal vet to head H.D. Smith’s generics effort

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —Pharmaceutical wholesaler H.D. Smith has named Cardinal Health veteran Robert Appleby VP in charge of generic pharmaceuticals.

The position is a new one for H.D. Smith, one of the nation’s top five drug distributors. Appleby will lead an effort to “maximize growth opportunities within the sector,” the company stated.

In line with the appointment, H.D. Smith said it will “hone and execute a new generic pharmaceuticals strategy.” That approach will focus on “addressing changing consumer needs as a result of the healthcare sector’s increasing reliance on comparative effectiveness and generic drugs to reduce costs,” H.D. Smith spokeswoman Allison Worrell said. Worrell called the induction of Appleby “the latest in a series of senior hires to strengthen the company’s growth potential in key business categories.”

At Cardinal, Appleby served in a number of roles, most recently as VP customer development. Prior to that, he was VP CardinalASSIST/Ready-Scan, the company’s repackaging and automated pharmaceutical replenishment business; director of corporate development, managing the acquisition process for potential and completed mergers; and director of corporate finance. Appleby spent his early career as a financial analyst and consultant with the Goodrich Corp., formerly known as the B.F. Goodrich Co., and Ernst & Young.

Separately, H.D. Smith won new recognition last month for its efforts to provide high service levels to its chain and independent pharmacy clients, garnering the Boehringer Ingelheim Wholesaler of the Year Award. The annual award was created to recognize “outstanding performance and collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim’s trade and revenue departments,” noted the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Candidates for the award were evaluated in 14 areas of operations. The company was one of 22 firms judged based on service and inventory levels, demand variability, electronic data interchange performance, returns and other criteria.

“Recipients of this award must excel across the board, and the fact that H.D. Smith surpassed its competition in all performance metrics is impressive,” said Bob Belknap, executive director of sales and operations for BI. The Illinois-based drug distributor, he said, “achieved an overall average of 94.3%, compared to an 83% average rating by its peers.”

“The company excels in its customer and supplier relations,” he added.