Becton Dickinson

Questions remain over feasibility of White House testing goals

Volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps in Philadelphia administer COVID-19 tests in 2020. (Photo: HHS)

This is an excerpt from Medically Necessary, a health care supply chain newsletter. Subscribe here.

The plan: Last week, the White House released an ambitious plan to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Diagnostic testing will play an enormous role in achieving the plan’s goals. 

The plan will require large employers to get workers vaccinated or tested weekly and encourages entertainment venues and schools to require frequent testing. 

It’s difficult to predict how the plan will affect demand for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/questions-remain-over-feasibility-of-white-house-testing-goals

Excess PPE cuts into profits for distributors, manufacturers

The story: Excess inventory of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests are cutting into profits for distributors and manufacturers as demand falls. Several companies recently recorded charges related to obsolete inventory or donated excess products.   

Those actions took place when the U.S. vaccination rates were rising, COVID-19 case numbers were falling and demand for PPE was waning. 

As the delta variant causes COVID-19 cases to rise in the U.S., there are signs that demand for PPE is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/excess-ppe-cuts-into-profits-for-distributors-manufacturers

Perfect storm disrupts supply chain for skin disinfectant products

(Photo: Vidal Balielo Jr.)

This is an excerpt from Medically Necessary, a health care supply chain newsletter. Subscribe here.

The story: A perfect storm of supply chain issues recently led to disruptions for two skin disinfectant products. 

Group purchasing organizations are tracking shortages of BD’s ChloraPrep skin disinfectant product and PDI’s iodine prep pads.

The story behind those issues offers a useful glimpse of how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the health care supply chain and how the industry is responding....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/perfect-storm-disrupts-supply-chain-for-skin-disinfectant-products

Health care supply chain shifting to post-pandemic operations

An elementary school student is tested for COVID-19 using a rapid test made by Becton, Dickinson and Company. (Photo: BD)

The transition: The coronavirus pandemic has sent health care distributors on a roller-coaster ride, but now they’re preparing to shift operations into a post-pandemic mode.

In 2020, companies had to quickly scale up activities directly responding to the pandemic, such as supplying personal protective equipment, vaccines and COVID-19 tests. They also had to scale down activities serving other aspects of health care, such as visits to doctors’ offices or elective surgeries. 

Now, COVID-19 cases in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/health-care-supply-chain-shifting-to-post-pandemic-operations

Medically Necessary: Demand surge, supply shortages complicate COVID-19 waste management

(Photo: Flickr/Fuzzy Gerdes CC BY-SA 2.0)

This is an excerpt from the March 11, 2021 edition of Medically Necessary, a health care supply chain newsletter. Subscribe here.

Good afternoon. Medically Necessary is a newsletter by Matt Blois about the health care supply chain — how we get drugs, devices and medical supplies to health care providers and patients.

Demand surge, supply shortages complicate COVID-19 waste management

(Photo: Flickr/Fuzzy Gerdes CC BY-SA 2.0)

The challenge: The COVID-19 pandemic instantly increased demand for some...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/medically-necessary:-demand-surge-supply-shortages-complicate-covid-19-waste-management

More factories, manufacturing jobs headed for Mexico

Five companies recently announced big plans in Mexico, including two new factories and several major expansion projects.

The projects will generate more than $100 million in foreign investment in Mexico and could create up to 4,300 jobs at export factories across the country.

Motorcar Parts of America Inc. (MPA) announced Friday it will invest $9 million to expand its production plant in Tijuana.

The Torrance, California-based company said the expansion will create 300 jobs. MPA manufactures...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/more-factories-manufacturing-jobs-headed-for-mexico