Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott are pressing the Biden administration for answers on why domestic IV fluid production hasn’t ramped up following shortages caused by Hurricane Helene.
Hospitals struggled after the storm submerged a Baxter plant in North Carolina, which produces about 60% of the nation’s IV fluids. Health facilities had to ration supplies, postponing elective procedures and limiting IV use to critical cases.
The senators noted, “Although the administration attempted to help mitigate the shortage of IV supply in the weeks following the hurricane, we remain concerned that the delayed execution of these efforts may lead to longer-term consequences,”
They urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to explain why the agency has not used the Defense Production Act to assist small manufacturers in closing the supply gap, while Baxter rebuilds.
In response to Baxter’s North Cove plant shuting down, the officials approved temporary imports from international Baxter locations outside of the country.
HHS also invoked the Defense Production Act to help Baxter get materials to clean and set up the North Cove facility again, prioritizing access to necessary resources for restarting production.
Rubio and Scott questioned why smaller firms weren’t also given this support, saying, “While importing supply from approved manufacturers abroad can be helpful in the short-term, HHS must do more to expand approvals and resources to all capable domestic IV fluid manufacturers by invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA).”
They also raised the point about whether the government would consider extending the shelf life of IV and dialysis solutions beyond Baxter’s products.
Recently, the FDA allowed certain Baxter-made fluids to be used up to two years after manufacturing.
Baxter reported on Thursday that the most productive manufacturing line has restarted, but shipments won’t begin until late November.
No timeline exists for full operation restoration to pre-hurricane levels at North Cove.
“HHS must also commit to greater transparency in its actions regarding the current available supply so healthcare providers can plan accordingly,” urged the senators, so healthcare providers can better plan.
