The US Food and Drug Administration has contacted dozens of medical device manufacturers whose facilities in China may be at risk of creating shortages in the supply chain -- and indeed, some facilities have already been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.
Health care company Premier Inc., whose members include more than 4,000 hospitals and health care systems around the country, says that 44% of their members' N95 orders over the last 45 days have yet to be fulfilled -- which company officials described as "very" abnormal. Under normal circumstances, they'd expect nearly all of their usual orders to be fulfilled within a day or two.
The company is in a "unique position" in the supply chain as a group purchaser, which may make it aware of shortages before the FDA, according to Soumi Saha, senior director of advocacy at Premier.
Saha said that the manufacturers of medical devices like N95s aren't necessarily reporting shortages to the FDA -- but unlike drug manufacturers, they don't have to by law.
"There is a lack of transparency," Saha said.
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