From Gloves To Helium for MRIs, Iran War Is Rattling Medical Supply Chain
News outlets report on how the Middle East conflict is impacting medical supplies, drug prices, and even the amount of fluoride in some of Maryland's drinking water. Plus: An update on NIH payments.
Health Policy Watch:
War In Iran Threatens Helium Supplies For The World's MRI Machines
The gas that keeps hospital MRI scanners running has been caught in the crossfire of the war in Iran, raising the prospect of diagnostic delays, rising costs and rationing of one of modern medicine’s most important imaging tools. (Anderson, 4/6)
Bloomberg:
Malaysian Glove Maker WRP To Shut Down Over Iran War Shocks
Malaysian rubber glove maker WRP Asia Pacific Sdn. will begin winding down its business operations this month, citing “severe disruptions across global energy and petrochemical supply chains” caused by the Middle East conflict. ... The announcement comes as the US- and Israel-led war creates the largest oil supply shock in decades, stoking inflation, rattling financial markets and pushing up costs for everything from food to fuel. It has also put industries such as glove manufacturers at risk, as they rely on imports of nitrile latex — a synthetic rubber — whose prices are linked to energy markets. (Melin and Raghu, 4/8)
NPR:
Medical Supplies Are Stuck In Dubai, As Clinics Around The World Face Shortages
The war in Iran has slowed down international shipping, much of which contains medical and humanitarian goods destined for Asia and Africa. (Tanis, 4/6)
Axios:
Why Pharma Fallout From The Iran Conflict Won't End With A Ceasefire
Effects could be felt for months in the form on higher prices for generic drugs and spot shortages. (Sullivan, 4/9)
The Washington Post:
Maryland Utility Reduces Fluoride In Water, Citing The Middle East Conflict
The water utility for Maryland’s two largest counties has temporarily reduced the level of fluoride added to drinking water, citing nationwide supply chain challenges partly brought about by the war in Iran. (Scott and Hedgpeth, 4/9)
In other Trump administration news —
Stat:
Trump Administration Drops Court Fight To Cap NIH Payments For Research Overhead Costs
The Trump administration will not be asking the Supreme Court to take up its fight to slash federal support for funding that the nation’s science enterprise relies on for basic operating costs. The deadline to do so came and went this week without a petition from Trump’s Department of Justice, effectively ending the 14-month standoff over a controversial policy to drastically reduce the rate of reimbursement for “indirect costs” on federal grants. The legal battle between the administration and the research community started last February, when the National Institutes of Health abruptly announced it would cap payments for research overhead at 15%. Three lawsuits opposing the caps were immediately filed by state attorneys general and organizations representing private and public universities, hospitals, and academic medical centers. (Molteni, 4/8)
