A federal effort to expand domestic medical glove manufacturing has yet to produce a single medical glove despite $850 million in funding awarded to six companies, according to a July 7 Bloomberg report.
The initiative, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce U.S. dependence on imported personal protective equipment, included $123 million in federal financing for Blue Star NBR to build the nation’s first domestic producer of medical-grade nitrile butadiene rubber in more than 30 years. The Virginia plant was ready for operations by spring 2023, but stalled in December, needing tens of millions more dollars to hook up utilities and build an adjacent glove factory, with hundreds of reactor motors sitting in storage after the project lost momentum following the 2020 election. Nearly two years later, four-and-a-half years after construction began, the factory remains idle and could be sold for parts, Blue Star CEO Scott Maier told Bloomberg.
The U.S. uses about 120 billion nitrile gloves each year, but only about 1% are made domestically, according to Bloomberg. Most medical gloves are imported from Malaysia, while the key raw material is supplied primarily by China. Domestic gloves can cost twice as much as imported alternatives, creating a financial hurdle for hospitals and other purchasers.
The Trump administration told Bloomberg it does not plan to provide additional funding to the companies. Instead, it is implementing new federal procurement policies requiring agencies to purchase American-made nitrile gloves when available, with the goal of strengthening existing domestic manufacturers that rely on imported raw materials.
Some domestic manufacturing efforts have had more traction. New Orleans-based Ochsner Health helped form its supply company, SafeSource Direct, during the pandemic, and by 2023 the company said it was on track to become the largest U.S. nitrile glove manufacturer, winning FDA clearance that March for a thinner, lower-cost exam glove. Ochsner and SafeSource Direct also joined seven other domestic PPE manufacturers, including Blue Star NBR, in February 2023 to launch the American Medical Manufacturers Association, a trade group aimed at protecting U.S. producers from being undercut by cheaper Chinese-made supplies.
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