The last few years, there was a shortage of regular saline IV bags because most of the producers have gone out of business (it’s expensive to assure sterility and follow all the FDA certification/inspection and the end product isn’t ordinarily very valuable). The FDA declared the shortage over earlier this month, ending a 7-year official shortage.
It’s hard to profitably manufacture medical grade products, so a lot of the off-patent, competitive products end up in shortage from time to time, which drives up the price (and more frustratingly, makes the prices very volatile).
The last few years, there was a shortage of regular saline IV bags because most of the producers have gone out of business (it’s expensive to assure sterility and follow all the FDA certification/inspection and the end product isn’t ordinarily very valuable). The FDA declared the shortage over earlier this month, ending a 7-year official shortage.
It’s hard to profitably manufacture medical grade products, so a lot of the off-patent, competitive products end up in shortage from time to time, which drives up the price (and more frustratingly, makes the prices very volatile).