National IV fluids supply threatened by hurricanes
Hurricane Helene shut down a top manufacturer of IV solutions in the U.S., threatening hospitals across the country with shortages. Milton’s landfall this week could make the problem even worse.
Baxter International’s manufacturing plant in Marion, N.C., supplied roughly 60 percent of the IV solutions used by hospitals in the U.S. before Helene shut down production.
The company says it expects the plant will reopen sometime in the next two weeks, but full productivity might not be returned until the end of this year.
“Our goal is to restart North Cove production in phases and return to 90% to 100% allocation of certain IV solution product codes by the end of 2024,” Baxter said in its most recent update on the situation.
There are other domestic producers of IV fluids, but Milton’s approach threatens another top manufacturer, B. Braun. The company has an IV manufacturing facility in Dayton Beach, Fla., close to Milton’s expected path.
According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), hospitals in the U.S. have been told to expect 40 percent of their normal shipments of IV solution.
As health care providers grapple with a likely shortage of these crucial medical products, industry groups and federal authorities have turned to several potential measures to mitigate the problem:
Declare a shortage of IV solutions: The AHA has called on the federal government to declare a shortage so hospitals will have the flexibility to prepare IV solutions in their own pharmacies and so providers know to conserve their supply.
Move existing supply: In anticipation of Milton, B. Braun and the federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response confirmed that the Dayton Beach facility has been temporarily shut down, and the supply of IV solutions at the company’s distribution center has been relocated.
Relax regulations: Industry groups like the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists have called for temporary flexibilities in inspection requirements, limits on compounding IV solutions and expiration dates.
Expedite imports: According to one senior administration official, the Food and Drug Administration is considering temporary imports and expedited reviews of restored manufacturing lines.
Gets others to step in: With a major supplier temporarily out of commission, stakeholders are looking to other manufacturers to ramp up production. A spokesperson for B. Braun said the company is increasing production at its Irvine, Calif., plant. Another major producer of IV solutions, ICU Medical with a facility in Austin, Texas, said it too has taken steps to ramp up production.
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