, Columnist
IV Shortage After Hurricane Helene Reveals a Bigger Problem
If one big storm can take out 60% of the US supply of intravenous fluids, what else should we be worried about?
Life-saving.
Photographer: Bing Guan/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Three weeks after Hurricane Helene, the frantic hunt for critical, basic medical products continues. The storm knocked out production at Baxter Inc.’s North Cove plant in North Carolina, which reportedly produced some 60% of the US supply of IV fluids.
That scramble is becoming too familiar. When Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico in 2017, the damage to a Baxter plant that made small IV bags led to a shortage. In July 2023, supplies of a range of sterile injectable drugs were at risk after a massive tornado tore through Pfizer’s Rocky Mount facility in North Carolina.