Baxter restarts major IV supplies line at hurricane-impacted plant

Baxter announced this week that it has restarted the highest-throughput IV solutions manufacturing line at its North Cove plant in Marion, North Carolina.

Before Hurricane Helene’s devastating remnants hit western North Carolina in late September with heavy rain and flooding, the line represented roughly a quarter of the site’s total production and about half of the site’s production of 1-liter IV solutions that hospitals and clinics most commonly use.

Since the North Cove plant went offline, hospitals across the country have faced disruption in the supply of some sterile intravenous fluids used in everything from intravenous dialysis care to some surgeries. The 1.4 million-ft² facility employs 2,500 people and is the largest manufacturer of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis products in the U.S., according to Baxter.

Baxter says its goal remains to return to 90% to 100% allocation of certain IV solution product codes for U.S. customers by the end of the year.

The company also recently announced:

The first temporary bridge at the North Cove site has already transported more than 885 truckloads of finished products off-site and to customers.
Baxter has started to expand support for new peritoneal dialysis patients on a limited basis, with a the goal of returning to pre-Helene levels for new patient starts by the end of 2024.
The Baxter International Foundation has donated roughly $4 million to support employees and communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Other medtech companies including B. Braun Medical and Fresenius Medical Care have also responded to the shortage.

In a statement, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra described Baxter’s progress at North Cove as encouraging.

“The output from the restarted line, which will be closely monitored to help ensure the quality and safety of released product, will supplement product that is being imported from abroad in accordance with temporary grants of regulatory flexibility from FDA,” Becerra said. “While important steps remain to ensure the safety of this production, this latest development moves us another step closer to ensuring partners and patients have access to the quality supplies they need. I look forward to continued progress in the coming weeks.”