Fresenius Medical Care said Thursday it will increase its production of IV fluid and peritoneal dialysis (PD) products as the U.S. manages shortages due to Hurricane Helene’s effect on the supply chain.
The company is maximizing production capacity at its international sites to help add supply amid an industrywide supply shortage of PD products and IV fluids, according to the update. Fresenius Medical Care is also exploring other options to address the shortage at the Department of Health and Human Services’ request.
Fresenius Medical Care said it has a plan in place to “monitor and conserve supplies, adjust prescriptions, and use other suppliers to help mitigate potential shortages.”
The U.S. is scrambling to address shortages after a Baxter facility in North Carolina was damaged by Hurricane Helene, disrupting a key manufacturing site for IV fluids and PD products.
Baxter has limited the amount of certain products that customers and distributors can purchase to manage its inventory, limit stockpiling and minimize disruption to patient care. Providers have reported shortages of IV fluids after damage from Hurricane Helene halted production at Baxter’s site, and the American Hospital Association called on the Biden administration to step in. Baxter plans on returning to 90% to 100% of allocations for certain supplies by the end of 2024.
Fresenius Medical Care is not the only manufacturer to increase production capacity of the crucial products. B. Braun is taking steps to increase its production of IV fluids at a facility in Irvine, California, and plans to boost production at a site in Daytona Beach, Florida.
However, both companies are managing the situation after Hurricane Milton hit Florida this week.
B. Braun closed an IV solutions manufacturing facility and distribution center in Daytona Beach on Wednesday and Thursday. Allison Longenhagen, a company spokesperson, said in an emailed statement Thursday that the sites “were not seriously impacted by Hurricane Milton and will resume operations as planned on Friday morning.”
The company will also transfer more than 60 truckloads of IV solutions inventory back to the Daytona Beach distribution center after the supplies were moved to a facility north of Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall, Longenhagen wrote.
B. Braun said in a recent update online that its Daytona Beach manufacturing site is a “key part of our plan to help address the shutdown of Baxter’s IV solutions manufacturing facility in North Carolina.” The firm said it is in daily contact with the HHS, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the drug shortage staff at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Fresenius Medical Care also implemented emergency strategies because of Hurricane Milton. It closed more than 100 dialysis centers on Wednesday and Thursday, and it has a disaster response team ready with fuel, generators, water tankers and other equipment to help ensure patients who need care can get it even if there are power outages or water disruptions.