The US healthcare system continues to grapple with a critical IV fluid shortage caused by Hurricane Helene, which brought catastrophic flooding to North Carolina and heavily damaged Baxter’s North Cove manufacturing facility. Responsible for 60% of the nation’s IV fluid supply, the facility has been steadily working to restore operations, but full recovery is anticipated during the first quarter of 2025.
Baxter has restarted 85% of its manufacturing capacity, according to a December 19 update. Eight of the facility’s 10 manufacturing lines are back online, with some operating near pre-hurricane levels. The company anticipates reaching full pre-hurricane production levels early this year, which would allow distribution channels to normalize shortly after.
Previously, in a December 5 update, Baxter announced the resumption of its 3-liter irrigation manufacturing lines and peritoneal dialysis solutions manufacturing lines. The company also detailed that its IV solutions manufacturing lines had restarted, producing much of the site’s pre-hurricane capacity of 1-liter IV solutions—the size most commonly used in hospitals and clinics.
Hellbound and Down 