FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Project PROTECT Milestone: Angels for Change and Leiters Health Advance U.S. Readiness for Critical Medicine Magnesium Sulfate Injection
Partnership moves vulnerable-to-shortage essential medicine from development to ready-to-activate domestic capacity before shortages threaten patient care
TAMPA, FL – October 27, 2026 – Angels for Change today announced a new milestone in Project PROTECT, its national initiative to proactively strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity for essential medicines vulnerable to drug shortages.
Through the partnership, Leiters Health, a U.S.-based 503B outsourcing facility in Englewood, Colorado, has completed development of Magnesium Sulfate Injection and advanced the medicine into PROTECT's readiness phase. The partnership establishes domestic manufacturing capacity that can be activated when supply disruptions threaten access to this critical medication.
Magnesium Sulfate Injection is a prescription medication administered intravenously (IV) or intramuscularly (IM) in hospital settings to treat and prevent severe medical conditions. It functions primarily as an electrolyte replenisher and an anticonvulsant.
Preparing Before the Shortage
Project PROTECT takes a fundamentally different approach to drug shortages: prepare before the crisis rather than react after it begins.
Launched in 2022, the program provides targeted grants and strategic support to U.S.-based 503B outsourcing facilities to establish ready-to-activate capacity for essential medicines at risk of shortage.
To date, Project PROTECT has partnered with five manufacturers to strengthen U.S. readiness for 14 essential medicines. Seven of those medicines have subsequently experienced shortages, and more than 850,000 patient treatments have been accessed during shortages.
Building on a strategic relationship established in 2023, this latest milestone with Leiters Health represents a critical step forward in creating a more resilient domestic supply of critical medicines before patients are affected.
“Project PROTECT is about staying ahead of shortages before they reach patients. By partnering with Leiters Health to prepare domestic capacity for Magnesium Sulfate Injection, we are demonstrating what proactive shortage preparedness can look like and building the ability to respond before a supply disruption becomes a patient crisis.””
A Critical Medicine for Emergency Care
Magnesium Sulfate Injection plays an important role in treating life-threatening conditions, and this new availability ensures healthcare providers have uninterrupted access to a critical, emergency-room staple. It is stocked as a first-line therapy in emergency carts and rapid-response kits across all high-acuity healthcare settings.
By completing development and moving the product into a readiness phase, Leiters Health and Project PROTECT are establishing a domestic resource that can be activated when needed.
““Leiters Health is honored to partner with Angels for Change through Project PROTECT. Together, we are proactively addressing supply vulnerabilities and helping strengthen the availability of critical sterile injectable medicines for healthcare providers and the patients they serve.””
From Reactive to Proactive
Drug shortages have historically been addressed after a disruption occurs, when manufacturers, distributors, providers, and healthcare professionals are already scrambling to find alternatives. Patients and Providers deserve a supply chain that is ready to save them. This readiness must be onshore, reliable, and move seamlessly into the supply chain when disruption occurs.
Project PROTECT changes that equation.
By identifying vulnerable medicines and investing in manufacturing readiness before a shortage occurs, the program creates a proactive layer of resilience within the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain.
“Every shortage is a reminder that preparedness matters,” Bray said. “We don't want to wait until a critical medicine is unavailable to ask what we could have done differently. PROTECT gives us a way to prepare now.”
Partnerships like the one with Leiters Health are part of a broader effort to strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain, increase domestic readiness, and move the nation's response to drug shortages from reactive to proactive.
About Project PROTECT
Project PROTECT is a national program led by Angels for Change that provides grant funding to U.S.-based 503B outsourcing facilities to proactively prepare essential medicines at risk of shortage. By establishing ready-to-activate domestic manufacturing capacity, the program strengthens supply chain resilience and protects patient access to lifesaving therapies.
Founded in 2022, Project PROTECT has helped strengthen the U.S. supply of 14 essential medicines. To date, 7 of those medicines have entered shortage, and more than 850,000 patient treatments have been supplied during disruption periods. Project PROTECT received the CNN Heroes Health Care Champion award in 2023.
About Leiters Health
Leiters Health is a pharmacy solutions partner serving healthcare organizations with high-quality compounded medications, pharmacy services and innovative solutions designed to meet critical medication needs. Rooted in nearly a century of pharmacy experience, Leiters Health combines deep expertise in pharmacy compounding with advanced manufacturing capabilities, rigorous quality standards and a commitment to reliable service. As an FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility, the company serves health systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, ophthalmology practices and other healthcare organizations across the country.
Leiters Health remains deeply committed to quality, innovation and excellence. Through ongoing investments in automation, compliance and employee development, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of healthcare today while preparing for the future. This evolution includes pursuing next-generation opportunities, expanding our portfolio and developing new compounding solutions and services that address the changing needs of health systems and the patients they serve. Learn more at leiters.com
About Angels for Change
Founded in 2019, Angels for Change is the nation’s only nonprofit patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending drug shortages. As the operator of the nation’s Drug Shortage Hotline, Angels for Change partners across healthcare, manufacturing, the supply chain, and government to help ensure patients receive lifesaving medicines when and where they need them.
Through bold resiliency initiatives like PROTECT and GOLD, the organization is building onshore capacity and buffer supply for medicines most vulnerable to shortage. These efforts have earned widespread recognition and led to a 20 year low in new drug shortages. Learn more at angelsforchange.org
