The FDA is warning healthcare providers and the public not to use a COVID-19 antigen test and antibody test due to the high risk of false results.

The FDA is requesting $6.5 billion in funding for fiscal year 2022 under President Joe Biden's $6.5 trillion proposed budget released May 28. The request marks a nearly 8 percent increase from the $477 million budget the agency has this year.

Abbott Laboratories on June 1 lowered its financial outlook for 2021, citing a sharp drop in demand for COVID-19 testing. 

Manufacturers of masks and medical gowns in the U.S. have started to see a huge drop in sales, leading some to end-production and issue layoffs, according to The New York Times. 

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of healthcare was evolving.

The FDA said May 27 that healthcare providers should stop using masks that haven't been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, such as KN95s, as has been allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic since mask supplies have been in shortage. 

McKesson plans to open a 174,000-square-foot distribution facility in Holt, Mich., this fall, the Lansing State Journal reported. 

Rebuilding the U.S. domestic medical supply chain faces several significant challenges, three industry experts wrote in an article published May 26 in Harvard Business Review. 

A carcinogen was found in 78 batches of sunscreen products tested by online pharmacy Valisure, with some batches containing more than three times the FDA limit, the company said this week. 

The past year has been difficult for hospitals and health systems. Looking ahead, financial recovery and responding to lessons learned are top priorities. This work includes initiatives to enhance supply chain resiliency.

Ten health systems have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

Deena Carney, BSN, RN, and Heather Salvatore, BSN, RN, two perioperative nurses at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., detailed how nurses can work to improve the operating room supply chain in an article published in the American Nurse Journal. 

Global Healthcare Exchange announced May 26 the recipients of its 20th annual GHXcellence Awards. 

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of the healthcare supply chain, as well as weaknesses in the data infrastructure among public health, health systems and other stakeholders.

As hospitals and health systems confront the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, many are looking to supply chain leaders as strategic advisers in delivering value for their patients and bottom lines. 

Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., introduced the Medical Supplies for Pandemics Act May 19, a bill that aims to strengthen the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile and boost domestic manufacturing of critical medical supplies. 

When you distribute products just in time (JIT) based on the most logical (low) unit-of-measure possible, you can take a proactive approach to reducing costs and waste caused by expiring products.

Ten health systems have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

UPS Healthcare and Stericycle have partnered to help hospitals and health systems manage their medical waste, the companies said May 19. 

The FDA issued a warning May 20 for healthcare providers to stop using certain types of needles and syringes made by Guangdong Haiou Medical Apparatus after finding quality issues with them.