The Food and Drug Administration needs to do more to solve a shortage of IV saline and other key products during the record-setting flu season, a group of lawmakers said Friday.
The FDA has made several moves to mitigate the shortage caused by Hurricane Maria's pummeling of Puerto Rico, a key manufacturing center of IV saline. The actions include speeding up imports of saline from overseas and hastening approval of new saline products. However, lawmakers said in a letter to the agency Friday that the moves have not quelled concerns from healthcare providers.
“Providers in our states have voiced concerns over the uncertainty of when these products will become available and when a long-term solution to this shortage will be implemented,” the letter said.
The shortage of IV saline started when Hurricane Maria damaged manufacturing facilities on the island.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb added in a notice on Jan. 4 that many companies that manufactured products on Puerto Rico are back to ramping up production. He added he was optimistic that the stress of the shortage will abate, “even if the shortages will not be fully resolved immediately.”
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, R-Puerto Rico, and Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., spearheaded the letter that was signed by 29 senators and 63 House lawmakers.
The FDA did not immediately return a request for comment.
