Supply Chain

Chicago-based medical technology company Hillrom is being sued by Linet, a global supplier of hospital beds, for allegedly using "anti-competitive" practices to slow the supplier's growth in the U.S., the Chicago Tribune reported Dec. 29. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging the federal government to allow states to buy monoclonal antibody treatments amid the latest COVID-19 surge, The Hill reported Jan. 3. 

The Tennessee Department of Health has received a limited supply of the Merck and Pfizer oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

Health systems across the nation are reporting shortages in sotrovimab, which The New York Times reported is the only COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment that appears to be effective against the omicron variant.

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

Rapid antigen tests may have reduced sensitivity in detecting the omicron COVID-19 variant, the FDA said in a Dec. 28 update. 

Between the struggles of COVID-19 and the constant supply challenges, the past two years have been exhausting for healthcare workers.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled around 377,000 portable bed rails from Middleburg Heights, Ohio-based Compass Health and Orlando, Fla.-based Essential Medical Supply in two separate Dec. 22 announcements.

Five regional infusion centers in Texas have run out of sotrovimab, the only COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment that appears to be effective against the omicron variant, the Department of Health and Human Services said Dec. 27.

Amazon is limiting sales of its at-home COVID-19 PCR test kit to 10 units per shopper due to supply shortages, CNBC reported Dec. 22.