Critical Drug Shortage in the U.S.

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The recent hurricanes in the U.S. produced a critical shortage in a critical drug. IV Fluids.

Mark Hahn and I dove into a critical issue: the drug shortages caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Helene, in particular, inflicted severe damage on a major North Carolina major IV fluids production plant, leaving hospitals to scramble with orally-administered alternatives like Pedialyte and Gatorade in non-critical cases—a stark reminder of the fragility of our medical supply chains.

Hurricane Helene and Drug Shortages

hmm....heard about gatorade being good to use to help replenish electrolytes, but seriously the bad stuff in it outweighs
its benefits ..There are much better powdered electrolyte powders ( to be made into solutions) than Gatorade.
Prolly Gatorade is/ was cheaper .
But this problem in our medical supply chains , for the common people has bever been addressed in my memory in this country..

According to one account from the Australian Government.

We are aware of shortages of multiple intravenous (IV) fluid products from all three Australian suppliers (Baxter Healthcare, B. Braun and Fresenius Kabi).

IV fluids are essential medicines used in hospitals for routine and critical care. They are crucial for fluid replacement, resuscitation and administering other medications directly into the bloodstream. The shortage is particularly affecting multiple bag sizes of Sodium Chloride 0.9% (saline) and Compound Sodium Lactate (Hartmann’s solution) products.

The shortages are due to multiple factors, including global supply limitations, unexpected increases in demand and manufacturing issues.

To improve supply, we have approved multiple overseas-registered alternative saline fluids under section 19A of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. We are continuing to prioritise evaluation of additional applications submitted under section 19A. Please see further information below or visit our Section 19A approvals database for up-to-date information about the alternative products (search by the active ingredient, ‘0.9% Sodium Chloride’).

We continue to collaborate with jurisdiction health departments and suppliers of Australian-registered IV fluid products to monitor the situation and address any regulatory barriers to supply.

Suppliers have advised us that supply will continue to be constrained into 2025.

Source: About the shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids