B. Braun announces $1 billion investment in manufacturing to alleviate IV fluid shortages in the U.S.
On Tuesday, one of the main suppliers of those fluids,
The initiative, called Solutions for Life, is B. Braun's response to the problem -- a reply that comes with a more than
"These are absolutely critical solutions for health care in general, so we are very proud of this investment and, like I said, we see this as the right thing to do," said
The shortages have popped up after particularly challenging flu seasons and following severe weather events. For example, when Hurricane Maria hit
Inventory levels became further strained when B. Braun shut down its
To address future shortages, B. Braun and Baxter both noted that they obtained
"We use it in everything we do"
As the recent shortage grew, health care providers had to scramble to identify alternative treatment methods, and in some cases, delay treatments so IV bags and fluids could be used for patients who needed them most, according to panelists who participated in a discussion Tuesday following B. Braun's announcement.
"When you look at IV fluids, it's a staple. It's water," said
Switching to other treatments had ripple effects: using more needles and syringes to deliver medications in other ways meant those devices were in shorter supply, Gillan said. Those changes in standard treatment approaches also increased costs and the potential for medical errors, several panelists noted.
Panelists representing distributors, health care providers, pharmacists and others within the medical supply chain said the shortage emphasized the need for redundancy in the system to deal with greater demand, as well as communication that would allow for responding quickly.
They also said the IV fluids aren't the only area where there are shortages, with more than 200 drugs listed as in short supply on any given day.
What B. Braun is doing about it
Karpf, who is based at B. Braun's manufacturing facility at
There, at
The building at
Aside from the
Also, B. Braun said in its 2018 annual report that it expects to complete the necessary work to its
In addition, the company opened a distribution center in
The
"There is more that needs to be done," she said.
Morning Call reporter
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