Baxter announced the release of its first 1-liter IV solutions manufactured post-hurricane, marking a significant step in addressing the ongoing IV shortage.
The release comes ahead of Baxter's original expectations and was made possible with the help of its North Cove facility team, broader Baxter teams and coordination with the FDA, according to a Nov. 21 news release from the company.
Here are four updates on the IV shortage:
- Baxter's North Cove facility has resumed manufacturing with two production lines now operational, restoring about 50% of its pre-hurricane capacity and 85% of its 1-liter IV solution production. The first batch of these products has passed quality checks and is now available for distribution.
- Baxter will continue to follow the allocation levels outlined Oct. 9 for both direct customers and distributors until communicating more details Nov. 25.
- Baxter expects to reach 100% allocation across multiple IV product categories by the end of the year. To date, the company has evaluated and approved hundreds of allocation exception requests to support neonatal and pediatric patient needs.
- Additional updates on phased allocation increases will be communicated to U.S. customers in late November, mid-December and at the close of the year.