They say small manufacturers should be activated through emergency laws.
Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week to find out why it had not yet tapped into small domestic manufacturers to address America’s ongoing IV fluid shortage.
Hurricane Helene flooded a Baxter IV manufacturing plant in Marion, North Carolina, which produces 60 percent of America’s supply of IV fluid. The plant has restarted its production after being shut down to repair its facilities. President Biden’s administration requested emergency shipments of IV fluid from Ireland, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom to mitigate the shortage.
“While importing supply from approved manufacturers abroad can be helpful in the short-term, HHS must do more to expand approvals and resources to all capable domestic IV fluid manufacturers by invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other agency supportive actions to increase domestic production,” the senators wrote.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the senators from Florida as they seek to ensure hospitals have the IV fluids needed for patients.
- For Secretary Becerra and HHS officials as they consider the senators’ request to invoke the DPA.
Sources: The Hill, Rubio.Senate.gov
