A manufacturing facility in Florida that produces IV fluids essential for hospitals across the nation is set to resume operations on Friday morning after halting production due to Hurricane Milton’s passage through the state.
According to company spokesperson Allison Longenhagen, B. Braun Medical’s manufacturing plant and distribution center located in Daytona Beach were largely unaffected by the hurricane, and there were no reported injuries among employees.
In preparation for the storm, the company, with assistance from the federal government, had relocated over 60 truckloads of IV solutions inventory out of Florida. Longenhagen noted that these supplies will soon return to the distribution center following the storm’s aftermath.
The federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response played a key role in coordinating the transportation of trucks and drivers for this temporary relocation, moving nearly 1.5 million bags of IV fluids, as reported by a representative on Thursday.
This factory is recognized as a crucial provider of sterile intravenous fluids, a resource that had already been strained following Hurricane Helene, which impacted Florida and other states late last month. That storm necessitated Baxter International’s shutdown of a North Carolina factory responsible for producing around 60% of the nation’s IV fluid supply.
The North Carolina plant is also vital in manufacturing fluids for patients undergoing home kidney dialysis. Following the disruptions from Hurricane Helene, Baxter began limiting customer orders to extend the available supplies, prompting healthcare systems to conserve IV fluids and postpone certain non-emergency surgeries.
On Wednesday, Baxter announced that it would boost production at its other facilities and lift some restrictions on customer orders. The company stated on its website that it is collaborating with the federal government to facilitate the temporary importation of products.
Baxter intends to gradually resume operations at its North Carolina plant by the end of the year, with hopes of removing restrictions on specific IV solutions during that timeframe.
In the interim, the company has designated these limits to prevent stockpiling and enhance fair access to the products.
B. Braun has indicated that its Daytona Beach facility is integral to its strategy for compensating for the shutdown of Baxter’s North Carolina operations, and the company is also ramping up production at its facility in Irvine, California.
This story has been revised to clarify that a representative from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response provided updates on Thursday, rather than Friday.
