Hospitals are facing shortages of IV fluids following Hurricane Helene’s damage to Baxter International’s North Cove manufacturing site in Marion, N.C. The facility supplies an estimated 60% of IV solutions in North America. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a letter on Wednesday announcing it is working with Baxter and the Food and Drug Administration to identify alternative manufacturing sites, including for potential temporary imports, at an expedited rate. HHS says there are currently shortages of normal saline IV fluids, normal saline irrigation fluid, sterile water irrigation, and dextrose 5% IV fluids that pre-date Hurricane Helene. The hurricane-related supply disruption at the Baxter facility will likely lead to further constraints for IV fluids.
Since the initial disruption, Baxter has announced plans to increase current U.S. allocation levels of its highest-demand IV fluids for direct customers from 40% to 60%, and for distributors from 10% to 60%. The company also says it is upping allocations of high-concentration dextrose and sterile water for injections, anticipating additional increases for certain product codes by early November. Baxter is also increasing allocations for IV solutions and nutrition products for designated children’s hospitals to 100%.
Hurricane Milton may disrupt operations of another IV product manufacturer, Braun.
