UNSPSC 51172406: Alginic acid/carboxymethylcellulose sodium/sodium bicarbonate

This classification denotes a combination drug defined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in its (VA's) National Drug File (NDF), which falls under VA Drug Class GA900. This VA Drug Class (GA900) classifies this compound as belonging to the group GASTRIC MEDICATIONS, OTHER.

UNSPSC 51172406 Alginic acid/carboxymethylcellulose sodium/sodium bicarbonate is a Commodity code whose recent state and local procurement activity shows little alignment with its nominal chemical product scope. The three recent opportunities posted under this code span offender drug testing services, pharmaceutical supply chain strategy, and generic multi-source pharmaceutical distribution — none of which directly procure the antacid and thickening agents the code name describes. State and local agencies appear to be using this code as a catch-all or miscategorization vehicle for pharmaceutical and health services procurement rather than for the specific chemical compounds the Commodity designates. The issuing bodies include a county criminal-justice department (Collin County Community Supervision and Corrections Department in Texas), a state health agency (Texas Health and Human Services Commission), and a multistate cooperative purchasing alliance (Minnesota Multistate Cooperative Purchasing Alliance, with participation from Oregon). This mix reflects both direct procurement by individual jurisdictions and cooperative-purchasing vehicles.

Geographic activity centers on Texas and Minnesota with multistate reach through MMCAP. Collin County posted RFP 2026-327 on July 9, 2026, requesting offender specimen collection and drug testing services with a response deadline of July 23, 2026 and an estimated contract value of $600,000 over two years with optional three-year extensions; the scope encompasses staffing two collection sites, laboratory screening and confirmation testing (approximately 25,031 tests annually), and electronic result reporting, with award expected August 10, 2026. Texas HHS issued an exploratory Request for Information (RFI HHS0017013) in late March 2026 to gather vendor capabilities on direct-to-manufacturer prescription fulfillment programs outside traditional pharmacy benefit manager and group purchasing organization channels. Minnesota's MMCAP posted RFP S1070000015802 on January 20, 2026, for generic multi-source pharmaceuticals and OTC products distributed through three authorized wholesalers, with proposals due March 26, 2026; the contract term is two years with optional extensions, and evaluation prioritizes price competitiveness (75 percent) alongside administrative compliance, EDI capability, and pricing format flexibility. None of these opportunities represent purchases of alginic acid, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, or sodium bicarbonate as standalone products.