Hospitals caution IV shortage after Helene closes Baxter’s NC facility
Following Hurricane Helene’s devastation, a health care company that provides IV and medical supplies has paused production at its North Carolina facility, creating concerns over a national shortage.
Baxter International, a leading supplier of IV resources, has temporarily closed its facility in Marion, about 35 miles east of Asheville, after deadly flooding from the hurricane ravaged the area.
“The safety of our employees, their families, and the communities in which we operate remains our utmost concern,” José E. Almeida, chair, president, and CEO of Baxter International said in a statement.
The health care company said in a message posted to its website that there is no known timeline “for when operations will be back up and running.”
Despite the temporary facility closure, Almeida said that Baxter International “will spare no resource” to help those in need.
“Remediation efforts are already underway,” he said.
Hospitals in New England, Florida issue caution about IV supplies
Due to disruptions brought on by Hurricane Helene, Baxter has placed limits on the quantity of orders that customers can purchase.
“We have implemented allocations to help ensure we are appropriately managing our inventory and minimizing disruption to patient care,” the company said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is monitoring the situation and said on Tuesday there was not yet a shortage for products produced by Baxter International.
However, some hospital systems have reported disruptions.
Mass General Brigham, which operates a network of hospitals in New England, has only received 40% of its usual supply of IV fluid from Baxter, Dr. Paul Biddinger said at a Friday press conference.
Biddinger said Mass General Brigham is facing “one of the biggest shortages” yet, CBS News reported.
“Patients are still getting IV fluids when they need them,” Biddinger told reporters on Thursday. “We are continuing normal medical services but emphasizing conservation, and we are carefully monitoring this incident to determine how long it may last, how long we may need to conserve, and making sure we identified all areas of our enterprise where services are affected.”
Meanwhile, the Florida Hospital Association said its also grappling with supply disruptions of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions due to the Baxter facility’s temporary closure.
“FHA is closely monitoring the state’s supply and is working with hospitals and state and federal partners to implement mitigation strategies to avoid disruptions in patient care,” the association wrote on X.
Baxter works to allocate IV supplies
Intravenous, or IV, fluids enter the body through your arm or hand by a needle and can be administered to patients for medicine or nutrients.
Baxter International is working on allocating IV supplies of saline and dextrose.
“While Baxter is taking new steps to manage inventory of their North Cove presentations to assure equitable access, FDA is also working with Baxter’s additional facilities to increase supply and reduce the risk of new shortages until Baxter can resume manufacturing the impacted products,” the FDA said.
The company is also working to allocate its PD solution products, which are solutions indicated for patients in acute or chronic renal failure, the company explained.
“(The) FDA will also be working with alternative suppliers, as needed, to manage gaps/shortages in (the) supply of critical products,” the FDA said.
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.
Anthony Robledo covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
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