Hurricane Helene impact on Baxter to further limit IV fluid supply, HHS says

(Reuters) -The closure of Baxter International’s North Cove facility in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene could further limit the supply of intravenous fluids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.

The company, one of the four main U.S. suppliers of IV fluids, had on Sept. 29 said production at the site has been shut due to flooding. It added it was working with the government to assess the damage and bring the plant back online.

On Tuesday, the U.S Food and Drug Administration said two doses of Baxter’s Dextrose solutions for low blood sugar and a saline solution are in shortage.

Meanwhile, HHS said it has also considered the possibility of Hurricane Milton further disrupting the IV fluid supply chain and was working to move the product away from the projected path of the storm.

Baxter has said it aims to restart production in phases and return to 90% to 100% allocation of certain IV solutions by the end of 2024.

The company said it was also increasing the U.S. allocation of its highest demand IV fluids for direct customers to 60% from 40% and for distributors to 60% from 10%, effective Oct. 9.

Germany’s Fresenius said on Tuesday it was checking options to start new infusion-solution production lines faster than planned at a North Carolina facility to help mitigate the potential shortages.

The U.S. health department said it is working with other domestic IV solutions manufacturers to combat the supply crunch.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo, Arun Koyyur and Sriraj Kalluvila)