US approves temporary imports of IV fluid amid national shortage from Hurricane Helene

The United States approved the temporary imports of crucial IV fluids from countries overseas late Wednesday, as hospitals nationwide struggle with a shortage of saline and other chemicals because of Hurricane Helene.

The shortage comes after a medical facility in North Carolina was forced to shut down because of flooding from the hurricane. The plant is operated by Baxter Healthcare Corp, which produces approximately 60% of the nation's supply of IV solutions. The shortage is also partly because the U.S. sends saline to Ukraine. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the temporary shipments from Baxter's headquarters in the United Kingdom, Ireland, China, and Canada on Wednesday.

“FDA will continue working with Baxter to identify both potential products already in their system and alternative manufacturing sites, including for potential temporary imports," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told health providers in a letter.  "As alternatives are identified, FDA is expediting assessments of those options."

A survey of hospitals from Premier Inc. found that 86% of health care providers were experiencing shortages of IV fluids, per The Hill, and nearly 17% are already canceling elective surgeries. Roughly 54% of respondents said they have 10 days or less of IV fluids in inventory.  

Becerra encouraged the health care providers to conserve their supplies and evaluate their allocations of the drugs to help ease the shortages.

“My department commits to mitigating the impact of Hurricane Helene and doing all we can to prevent further disruption as a result of Hurricane Milton,” he wrote. “Not only do we commit to doing all we can during this supply chain disruption, but we also commit to doing all we can to diversify and build resilience in this supply chain going forward.” 

Baxter said it plans to reopen its North Carolina plant in phases, and return to full operations by the end of the year.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.