This week, Baxter said it released the first product – 1-liter IV solutions – that was manufactured post-Hurricane Helene at its factory in North Carolina that was previously shut down due to flooding in the area.
“This is ahead of our original expectations and made possible by the dedication and resilience of the North Cove and broader Baxter teams, working in coordination with FDA,” the company wrote in an update. “We are making continued strong progress at our North Cove site, including the recent resumption of two manufacturing lines that represent ~50% of the site’s total pre-hurricane production and ~85% of the site’s production of 1-liter IV solutions, the most commonly used size by hospitals and clinics.”
Most Read Medical News:
After restarting two production lines – one in late October and the other in early November – Baxter said that, barring any unanticipated developments, it currently expects that peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions and irrigation will be the next two manufacturing lines to restart in early December.
“While we currently expect that all lines will be restarted by the end of the year, we do not yet have a timeline for when we expect North Cove production to be fully restored to pre-hurricane levels,” the company said.
The plant, which employs more than 2,500 people and focuses primarily on making intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions, has been partially closed for nearly two months. Despite the disruption to operations, the company said there was no structural damage to the factory.