The health supply chain is reeling from the fallout of Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage to Baxter International’s manufacturing facility in North Cove, North Carolina. This facility is crucial for the production of intravenous (IV) fluids and peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions, producing 60% of the U.S. supply of IV fluids, with around 1.5 million bags being manufactured daily. The hurricane’s impact has led Baxter to take immediate action by reducing shipments of its critical products to hospitals. In a statement, Baxter confirmed that the plant was “significantly impacted by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Helene,” and operations have been temporarily halted.
Baxter’s announcement has placed a strain on U.S. hospitals that rely on these essential supplies for patient care. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, hospitals have already been informed that they will receive only about 40% of their usual IV fluid shipments. These measures have forced hospitals to conserve supplies and turn to alternative methods, such as using oral hydration for patients where possible and being cautious with partially used IV bags. According to Dr. Paul Biddinger, chief preparedness and continuity officer at Mass General Brigham in Boston, these conservation efforts are aimed at maintaining patient care, though the current situation has been described as one of the more significant shortages experienced in the last decade.
Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet declared an official shortage, it is working closely with Baxter to explore solutions that could help alleviate the potential supply constraints. “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. FDA will also be working with alternative suppliers, as needed, to manage gaps/shortages in supply of critical products,” the FDA stated.
In addition, Baxter is reducing its shipments to hospitals to “help limit stockpiling and increase the likelihood of equitable access to available products.” The company announced Thursday that it had “implemented allocations to help ensure we are appropriately managing our inventory and minimizing disruption to patient care. That means that after review and consideration of available inventory and the medical necessity of the impacted products, a specific limit on what a customer can order has been implemented,” Baxter said on its website.
As hospitals brace for potential shortages, Biddinger noted that having experienced similar challenges in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, healthcare providers are familiar with strategies for managing supply disruptions. “I would characterize this as one of the bigger shortages that we’ve been through in the last decade or so,” Biddinger said, as reported by The Washington Post. “We acted early to make sure we’re conserving as quickly as we possibly can.” Biddinger also remarked that patient care had not been impacted yet, echoing his earlier statements during the 2017 shortages, as reported by CBSNews.
The situation has parallels to the IV fluid shortages that occurred in 2017 when Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and disrupted medical manufacturing on the island. At the time, hospitals were forced to implement similar conservation measures, and the lessons learned from that experience are now being applied once again. As Biddinger noted, healthcare providers are leveraging their experience from past shortages to manage the current situation effectively and ensure that patient care remains unaffected, as reported by CBSNews.
In addition to working with hospitals and healthcare providers, Baxter has also been collaborating with government agencies, including the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to address the current supply chain challenges. The FDA, in particular, is focused on ensuring that Baxter’s North Cove facility can resume production as quickly as possible while also exploring alternative sources for critical products. The agency is considering various regulatory flexibilities, such as expediting the approval process for temporary imports or allowing alternative suppliers to increase production sooner than expected.
In response to the hurricane’s impact, ECRI, a healthcare quality and safety group, has also released a report designed to provide guidance to healthcare providers on managing the current shortage. The report outlines several steps that providers can take to conserve IV solutions, including evaluating their current stock levels, collaborating with clinical teams to identify patients in critical need, and implementing evidence-based protocols to optimize fluid administration and minimize waste. ECRI’s report emphasizes the importance of ongoing communication and coordination with healthcare providers to ensure that patient care is not compromised during this challenging period.
Similarly, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has published suggestions for managing the conservation of IV fluids. These recommendations align with Baxter’s guidelines and aim to help hospitals and healthcare providers navigate the supply chain challenges caused by the hurricane. ASHP has also been working closely with its members to ensure that they have the resources and support needed to manage the current shortage effectively.
As hospitals continue to face supply chain challenges, some have turned to alternative solutions to mitigate the impact of the IV fluid shortage. Oral hydration has become a viable option for many patients who do not require continuous IV fluids, and hospitals are also exploring other fluid management strategies to conserve their supplies. The healthcare industry is also looking to lessons learned from previous natural disasters, such as Hurricane Maria, to strengthen supply chain resilience and prevent future disruptions.
Despite these efforts, the impact of Hurricane Helene on the healthcare supply chain is likely to be felt for some time. Baxter’s North Cove facility is a critical part of the U.S. healthcare infrastructure, and the temporary halt in production has highlighted the vulnerability of the system to natural disasters. As the healthcare industry continues to recover from the effects of the hurricane, there will likely be increased calls for greater investment in supply chain resilience and more robust contingency planning to ensure that future disruptions are minimized.
For now, healthcare providers are doing their best to manage the current situation and ensure that patient care remains unaffected. Baxter has assured hospitals that it is working diligently to resume production at its North Cove facility, but until that happens, the company has urged providers to continue practicing conservation and to explore alternative solutions to manage their supplies. As hospitals navigate the challenges posed by the IV fluid shortage, they are also preparing for the possibility of additional supply chain shocks, particularly as the hurricane season continues.
Looking ahead, the healthcare industry will need to consider how best to strengthen its supply chain in the face of future natural disasters. While the immediate focus is on managing the current shortage, there is a growing recognition that more needs to be done to build a more resilient and flexible supply chain that can withstand the challenges posed by events such as Hurricane Helene. As the healthcare industry works to recover from the impact of the hurricane, there will likely be increased efforts to develop new strategies and solutions to ensure that the supply of critical medical products remains stable and secure, even in the face of unforeseen disruptions.
