Helene-Hampered Baxter Begins Bringing In IV Solutions From Abroad
The medical supply company is leaning on its plants in Canada, China, Ireland, and the U.K. to shore up reserves hurt by flooding of its North Carolina plant.
Crain's Chicago Business:
Baxter Starts Importing IV Fluid To Stem Shortage
While Baxter International cleans and restores a North Carolina medical supply plant that was damaged by Hurricane Helene, the Deerfield-based company is temporarily importing products from its manufacturing facilities in other countries to help stem hospital supply shortages. Baxter today provided more details on plans to import intravenous solution and dialysis products from sites in Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K., a move the U.S. Food & Drug Administration authorized Oct. 9. (Davis, 10/14)
The Washington Post:
IV Fluid Shortage Due To Hurricane Prompts Hospitals To Postpone Surgeries
Hospitals across the United States are reeling from a shortage of IV fluids after Hurricane Helene struck a major manufacturing plant in North Carolina, prompting some to postpone elective surgeries and others to conserve supply by restricting use. The Food and Drug Administration formally declared a shortage for three fluid products Friday, allowing some hospitals and facilities to manufacture their own supply. The FDA last week had allowed shipments of IV fluids from other countries. But complications make it difficult to immediately end the shortage. (Nirappil and Roubein, 10/14)
Bloomberg:
Baxter’s Post-Hurricane Fluid Shortage Limits Access To Home Dialysis
Baxter International Inc., one of the biggest makers of fluid used during home dialysis, asked health care providers to limit new patient sign-ups because of shortages caused by hurricane damage at its key manufacturing plant. Only children and other patients with specific medical needs should start home peritoneal dialysis for the time being, the company said in a statement Monday. It doesn’t know when it will be making enough of its fluid to resume taking new at-home patients normally, it said. (Swetlitz and Suvarna, 10/14)
More pharmaceutical news —
CNBC:
Walgreens Says It Will Close 1,200 Stores By 2027, As Earnings Top Estimates
Walgreens on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter sales and adjusted profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations, as the company slashes costs in an attempt to steer itself out of a rough spot. The retail drugstore chain also said it plans to close roughly 1,200 stores over the next three years, which includes 500 in fiscal 2025 alone. The company said those closures will be “immediately accretive” to its adjusted earnings and free cash flow. (Constantino, 10/15)
Bloomberg:
CVS Exits Infusion Services, Closes Several Related Pharmacies
CVS Health Corp. is exiting its core infusion services business and plans to close or sell 29 related regional pharmacies over the coming months, a company spokesperson confirmed Friday. The company stopped taking new patients seeking antibiotics, drugs supporting muscular health, and intravenous nutrition services on Oct. 8, the spokesperson said. Core infusion services provide patients with medications that are administered intravenously. (Rutherford, 10/11)
NBC News:
Compounding Pharmacies Can Resume Making Tirzepatide As FDA Reconsiders Shortage
The Food and Drug Administration said in a court filing late Friday that it would allow pharmacists to continue making compounded versions of tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s diabetes and weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound — while it reconsiders its decision to remove the drug from its nationwide shortage list. The surprise move is a major victory for compounding pharmacists and patients who were furious with the FDA after its announcement on Oct. 2 that the tirzepatide shortage was resolved. (Lovelace Jr., 10/14)
USA Today:
Diabetics Use Glucose Monitors. Should Non-Diabetics Use Them Too?
More and more people are talking abut the monitoring device, also known as CGM, for non-diabetics. But not everyone in the health field is so bullish on the prospects of CGMs for everyone, and they question whether digging in too much is worth the hassle. (Oliver, 10/14)
USA Today:
Report: US Calorie Intake Could Reduce By Trillions By 2030
A surge in the use of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy play a role in a projected calorie intake decline of 10 trillion in U.S. adults by 2030, according to a new report. The U.S. total calorie consumption reduction marks the first since 1960s, according to a report by Impact Analytics published Oct 9. ... The AI-driven data group reported that by 2030, the average adult should consume 100 to 800 less kilocalories per year, leading to an around 10 trillion kilocalorie annual reduction in most U.S. adults. (Robledo, 10/14)
