[U] "The IV Supplier To The World" Expects To Fully Recover From Helene By Year End 2024...

And in the mean time, competitor B.Braun in Florida has reported that Milton didn't do as serious damage as was feared, so it reopened IV manufacturing as of this past Friday.

Even so, it will be months yet that US clinics and hospitals are on "supply / order limits" -- to stave off stock-outs. And source plants in the EU, Canada and even China will fly in pallets of bags to shortage-hit areas, under emergency FDA authorizations. Here's that story from last week, mostly -- at NPR:

. . .Flooding from Hurricane Helene in late September shut down the largest suppliers of IV fluids in the U.S, a factory in Marion, N.C., about 35 miles outside of Asheville. Owned by Baxter International, the plant made products like saline, sterile water for injection and other fluids that are crucial to the health care system.

Now, the company and government officials are trying to make sure existing shortages aren’t worsened by the natural disasters. . . .

[T]he Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized 19 IV products for temporary importation from Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K.

Baxter is limiting how much of its IV fluids customers like hospitals can buy to prevent hoarding and to try to ensure equitable access to the supply that is available. It’s also trying to increase manufacturing at its other facilities to bridge the gap. . . .

Now you know -- and last week, some elective surgeries were being postponed in Dallas for-profit hospitals, due to short supply -- of IV sets. And, the Europa Clipper mission has safely achieved a stable orbit. More prosaically, the Buffs travel to face a tough Arizona team this weekend. . . onward!

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