The federal government paid $123 million to build the nation's first plant to reproduce synthetic rubber into nitrile gloves, but after medical supply shortages ebbed, the Virginia facility sits unused, The Washington Post reported Dec. 28. 

While the supply chain stabilized as COVID-19 ebbed, thousands of drug delivery devices, syringes and eye drops fell into shortage in 2023. Here are eight noteworthy shortages from the past 12 months:

NYC Health + Hospitals' Danielle DiBari, PharmD, and the system's supply team are working to establish a Diverse Supplier Council to cement equity throughout the hospital supply chain. 

Philips North America is recalling 150 MRI machines in the U.S. due to explosion risks. The FDA has classified the recall as a Class 1, the most serious type of recall. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, states scrambled to secure masks, medical gowns and other personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Much of those items have sat in stockpiles and with product expiration dates approaching, states are throwing out troves of PPE worth millions, according to a report from The Associated Press.     

Olympus, a Japan-based medical devicemaker, is warning customers of more than 17,000 airway products that might burn patients or catch fire, the FDA said Dec. 19. 

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health recently joined the Medical Device Information Analysis and Sharing partnership, which aims to inject transparency into the medical supply industry. 

At the urging of White House officials, manufacturers have confirmed they will make an additional 230,000 doses of respiratory syncytial virus immunizations available for infants in January, alleviating a nationwide shortage. 

Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine has recycled more than 12,000 pounds of IV bags waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills.

On Gartner's 15th annual ranking of the nation's best health system supply chains, Cleveland Clinic secured the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year. 

Medline, the Northfield, Ill.-based major medical supplier, made several headlines this year for key developments ranging from newly inked deals to challenges due to fire damage at a manufacturing plant. 

Medical device maker Getinge is recalling 41 of its Cardiohelp Emergency Drive life support machines due to the risk of the device's emergency drive becoming stuck when clinicians attempt to activate the function. The FDA has classified it as a Class 1 recall, the most serious type. 

Cardinal Health issued a recall Dec. 5 for certain urology and operating room-specific kits and trays that include saline and sterile water from Nurse Assist.

Medtronic has canceled a $738 million deal to acquire the wearable insulin pump maker EOFlow Co., according to a Dec. 6 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

In 2017, Las Vegas hospitals treated victims from a mass shooting that killed 60 people and injured more than 400. In the aftermath, emergency response crews needed more of one crucial item: a Sharpie. 

Phoenix-based Banner Health was honored for its supplier diversity program by the Pacific Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council.

Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth has picked Medline for both its physician office and post-acute care vendor agreements.

The healthcare supply chain industry has evolved over the last 15 years in five significant ways, Eric O'Daffer, a Gartner research vice president, wrote in a Dec. 4 piece in Supply Chain Management Review. 

At least 60 million syringes and infusion pumps are in turmoil as the FDA investigates China-made plastic syringes that changed dimensions. 

As the FDA investigates reports of China-made syringes breaking and leaking, the agency is recommending healthcare workers prioritize syringes manufactured in other countries.