The American Hospital Association is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take additional steps to alleviate the saline shortage.
Rick Pollack, AHA executive vice president, wrote a letter to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, acknowledging the FDA for working to address the situation, but also suggested the administration could do more.
"The AHA understands and appreciates that FDA has been working with the four major manufacturers of IV fluids to address the current shortage and is engaged in efforts to obtain alternative sources of the products, including from overseas suppliers. However, given the extended duration of the shortages and their impact on the provision of patient care in the nation's hospitals, we strongly urge FDA to do even more to end this shortage by pushing current manufacturers to not only continue to produce these products at their maximum capacity but also to make investments to ensure an increasing supply for the future," Mr. Pollack wrote.
Mr. Pollack wrote that while hospitals are adapting as best they can, the AHA fears the shortage could lead to patient safety issues down the road.
More Articles on Supply Chain:
FDA Approves Implantable Device for Certain Type of Hearing Loss
Medline, Devon Medical Products Form Distribution Alliance
OxyContin Manufacturer Creates Tamper-Resistant Hydrocodone Drug