Supply Chain

Managing supplies is a crucial part of moving medical products from the manufacturer to patient’s bedside. Efficient supply chains can reduce healthcare costs and make medical devices more affordable for patients and health systems. This news page includes content on supply shortages, inventory management, and procurement practices.

Bipartisan bills in Congress would force insurance companies, PBMs to sell pharmacies
The Patients Before Monopolies Act, introduced in both the House and Senate, gives parent companies of PBMs three years to divest from pharmacies or face penalties.
FDA recalls 233K bottles of antidepressants due to cancer risk
Bottles of duloxetine manufactured by Rising Pharmaceuticals are being recalled due to higher-than-normal levels of nitrosamine contaminants. The recall is classified as Class II, the second most serious type.
FDA issues Class I recall on insulin syringes due to risk of death
A line of syringes manufactured by Cardinal Health may fail to properly inject insulin when used with needleless IV connectors.
Anesthesiologist gets 190 years for injecting drugs into IV bags
The IV bags caused multiple patients to experience severe cardiac distress. The judge who sentenced former doctor Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. said his actions were “tantamount to attempted murder."
FDA issues Class I recall on insertion tubes after manufacturing error
Specific FHC-branded insertion tubes used in brain surgery are 20mm longer than expected and could pose a serious risk to patients.

FDA announces recall of infusion pumps after thousands of complaints, 1 death

InfuTronix has received 3,698 complaints related to device failures of its Halo Ambulatory Infusion system and other Nimbus pumps.

April 25, 2024

FDA announces recall of more than 2 million catheter parts, citing serious health risks

Fresenius Medical Care is issuing a recall on 2,192,535 catheter extensions and adapters used in patients with acute and chronic kidney disease.

April 25, 2024

Joint replacements recalled after FDA safety warning

The FDA initially made the complaint in January. Exactech has agreed to recall products at risk of chemical oxidation as a result of faulty packaging.

April 23, 2024

Space company to extract medical imaging isotopes from the moon

Interlune has received $15M in funding to develop a scalable supply of Helium-3 from the lunar surface.

March 14, 2024

Amazon brings shipping muscle to Lilly drug delivery

Amazon continues its march into healthcare as LillyDirect will begin working with Amazon Pharmacy to fill home delivery orders of certain diabetes, obesity and migraine medications.

March 14, 2024

Cardinal Health recalls some Monoject syringes

The company’s “Cardinal Health”-branded Monoject syringes, released in June 2023, were manufactured by a different contractor and differed slightly in dimensions from the “Covidien”-branded syringes, which could put patients at risk.

February 2, 2024