Hospitals Are Feeling The Pinch From Hurricane’s Devastating Effect On Puerto Rico
Hospital pharmacists across the country are racing to find an alternative to a product called a Mini-Bag, which dilutes intravenous drugs for patients. But that's just the first of what providers and officials fear will be many shortages of drugs and devices following in the wake of the hurricane.
The New York Times:
U.S. Hospitals Wrestle With Shortages Of Drug Supplies Made In Puerto Rico
One of the workhorses of Clarke County Hospital, a 25-bed facility in rural Osceola, Iowa, is an unassuming product known as a Mini-Bag. It is a small, fluid-filled bag used by nurses to dilute drugs, like antibiotics, so that they can be dripped slowly into patients’ veins. The bag’s ease of use has made it popular in small facilities like Clarke County, where the pharmacy is closed on nights and weekends, as well as at nationally known hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic, which uses 34,000 of the bags every month. (Thomas, 10/23)
Stat:
FDA: Drug And Device Companies In Puerto Rico Still Operating Far Below Capacity After Storm
Drug and device companies with manufacturing operations in Puerto Rico have told the American public that their plants are getting up and running again, but that does “not reveal the true scope of the challenge that we are facing,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in prepared congressional testimony made available Monday. ... Gottlieb will appear before the subcommittee on oversight and investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Tuesday morning for a hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services’s response to hurricanes this summer and fall, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Officials from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the main HHS office will also testify. (Swetlitz, 10/23)
