The Defense Health Agency (DHA), in coordination with the FDA, the Military Departments, the Defense Logistics Agency, Center for Disease Control (CDC) Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Veterans Administration and several other federal agencies; administer a comprehensive SLEP in order to avoid replacement costs for potency-dated pharmaceuticals in pre-positioned stockpiles.
- The DHA acts as the single interface between the program participants who submit candidate products for testing.
- Program participants fund the testing, manage their portion of the program, and receive the benefit of deferred materiel replacement costs.
- The FDA conducts potency testing with a goal of extending product life beyond the original expiration date.
The SLEP enables each program participant to provide adequate oversight, ensure effective inventory controls, and monitor stockpiles for shelf life extension opportunities. The intended outcome of the SLEP is measurable cost avoidance returned to program participants and continued availability of potency-dated contingency stocks. The program also enables us to develop and implement more efficient stockpile replenishment plans.