America’s IV Saline Shortage Is Over: FDA

The shortage worsened in 2024 after a facility closed.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A shortage of saline for intravenous (IV) injections has been resolved, federal regulators said on Aug. 8.

The shortage of products with sodium chloride, a form of IV saline, was resolved after a joint effort involving the government and businesses, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Companies worked to expand manufacturing while FDA officials worked to increase the amount of IV saline available to hospitals. Officials said they facilitated imports of the products and expedited reviews for U.S. manufacturers.

“No doctor or nurse should have to deal with a drug shortage while caring for patients. We are working hard on this, and today I’m pleased to report the end of the saline shortage,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement.

“This marks a significant milestone for public health and reinforces the FDA’s commitment to ensuring Americans have consistent access to life-saving medical products,” Makary said in a separate statement released by the FDA.

The shortage worsened in 2024, when a Baxter International facility in North Carolina was forced to close because of flooding from Hurricane Helene.

Production at the facility resumed in late 2024 but was not fully restored until May.

According to the American Hospital Association, the plant, before its closure, manufactured about 60 percent, or 1.5 million bags, of IV solution used daily in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, following the closure, advised hospitals to evaluate certain IV practices, such as changing fluid at every shift change.

The closure resulted in “substantial shortages,” according to the hospital association, and led some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries.

“While we continue to increase allocation levels across key impacted product groups, the facility was fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2025,” Baxter said in an Aug. 7 filing with the government.

“In response to Hurricane Helene and the related supply disruption, certain customers have enacted fluid conservation practices which have resulted in, and are currently expected to continue to result in, reduced demand in our intravenous (IV) solutions business.”

The volume of sales was also affected by the destocking of inventory by customers and distributors, the firm said.

B. Braun Medical, another supplier, told customers in July that it was removing allocations for a number of IV solutions, including sodium chloride.

“These efforts, along with stabilizing market conditions, position us to better serve your clinical needs,” the company said.

Some other IV fluids are still in short supply. The FDA is working with manufacturers to resolve those shortages, Makary said.