medical supply chain

America’s fragile drug supply chain is extremely vulnerable to climate change

Vulnerabilities

Using data from the Food and Drug Administration, the researchers identified 10,861 drug facilities that were active for at least one year between 2019 and 2024. These facilities represent the array of manufacturing stages of a drug, from analyzing raw drug materials, to manufacturing active ingredients, to packaging drug products. The researchers then looked at the county location of each of these facilities and whether any federally declared weather emergencies occurred in those counties during the period. Weather-related emergencies included those from fires, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, and floods.

During the six-year span, 6,819 facilities (63 percent) faced at least one weather-related emergency. Per year, an average of 2,146 facilities (33 percent) experienced such an emergency.

The researchers noted that there was no statistically significant difference in the likelihood that counties with or without a drug facility would experience a weather-related emergency. That is, it’s not the case that drug facilities have been built in areas uniquely vulnerable to climate-related disasters.

Still, with a third of US facilities at risk of weather disasters each year, the study clearly shows how fraught it is to have flimsy supply chains—like having a single plant produce 60 percent of the country’s supply of an essential drug product.

“These findings underscore the importance of recognizing climate-related vulnerabilities and the urgent need for supply chain transparency, for strategic allocation of production, and for disaster risk management strategies to prevent health care disruptions in the US,” the authors conclude.

Helene ravaged the NC plant that makes 60% of the country’s IV fluid supply

baxter, health, Helene, hospitals, IV fluid, medical supply, medical supply chain, North Carolina, Science, supply chain / Shannon Garcia / October 4, 2024

Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage and flooding to the Southeastern states may affect the country’s medical supply chain.

Hospitals nationwide are bracing for a possible shortage of essential intravenous fluids after the cataclysmic storm inundated a vital manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

The plant is Baxter International’s North Cove manufacturing facility in Marion, which is about 35 miles northeast of Asheville. Helene unleashed unprecedented amounts of rain throughout the western part of the state, killing dozens and ravaging numerous communities, homes, and other structures, including the plant.

The North Cove plant produces 60 percent of the country’s supply of IV solutions, typically producing 1.5 million bags per day, according to the American Hospital Association. The dozens of sterile solutions Baxter makes at the facility are used for everything from intravenous rehydration and drug delivery to peritoneal dialysis used to treat kidney failure.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Helene,” Baxter CEO José Almeida said in a statement on September 29. “The safety of our employees, their families, and the communities in which we operate remains our utmost concern, and we are committed to helping ensure reliable supply of products to patients. Remediation efforts are already underway, and we will spare no resource—human or financial—to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need.”

Critical supply

On October 2, Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts’ largest hospital and health care system, warned employees via email of a “serious and immediate IV fluid shortage,” according to the Boston Globe.

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