SOUTH BEND, IN, November 19, 2010—Heraeus Kulzer, LLC, recently entered into an exclusive importation agreement with its parent company Heraeus Kulzer, GmbH, where it officially and legally acquired the sole rights as the exclusive importer of the Heraeus Kulzer branded dental products into North America.
“Essentially what this means is that we now have the legal backing to combat unauthorized or grey-market materials from entering the country through alternative routes,” explained Chris Holden, President of Heraeus Kulzer, LLC. “Grey-market materials pose a threat to manufacturers, dental professionals and even patients because of the lack of scrutiny on the quality of certain products.”
Grey-market product distribution is hardly a new issue. However, the recent economic global downturn has placed a brighter light on the problem as distributors and doctors are forced to find ways to conserve/reduce costs. Unfortunately, the grey-market approach to savings creates potential problems with serious repercussions on several fronts.
Often, grey-market products are not properly shipped or stored, diminishing the efficacy of the product, or they may even have altered expiration dates or worse, they may be counterfeit. The use of these tainted products then compromises patient care and becomes a public health issue.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulates that all dental products used and placed in patients’ mouths meet accepted standards – standards that include proper storage, shipping and shelf life.
“If a product is not managed through the appropriate channels, it can potentially be sitting in a warehouse somewhere for years, and then sold to a dentist at an extremely deep discount,” continued Holden. “As a dentist, you really don’t know what you are getting or what you are placing in a patient’s mouth.”
“We understand the seriousness of the issue and the potential health threats tied to grey-market products,” Holden continued. “Above all, we want to ensure the freshness and superior quality of every product we offer, and we will continue to push back against this growing problem.”
Heraeus is a worldwide market leader of dental and laboratory products, including items sold under the trademarks Venus®, Venus Diamond®, Venus White®, iBOND®, Gluma®, Flexitime®, AGFA®, Modern Materials®, and Ivory®. For more information on Heraeus or its products, call (800) 431-1785 or visit www.heraeusdentalusa.com.
