Supply Chain

The U.S. recently increased tariff rates on some medical supplies made in China to bolster domestic production, but the plan likely won't be fruitful, industry executives told Reuters.

Medline and Jiangsu Shenli Medical Production Co. have initiated recalls of plastic syringes amid reports of them breaking and leaking, the FDA confirmed in late May.

Medline broadened its respiratory business and now offers a nebulizer that shrinks delivery time from 10 to three minutes. 

Customers of an Abbott heart pump have reported 81 incidents, 70 injuries and two deaths related to blood leakage or air entering the device, according to the FDA. 

Hologic, a Massachusetts-based medical technology company, recently warned customers about potential risks linked to an implantable device used to mark soft tissue for procedures. 

Medline is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of medical products. Here are nine fast facts about the company:

Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital stopped using two harmful anesthesia gasses last year and are now working to reduce the use of two others by 75%, according to a May 21 news release. 

The availability of supplies has improved since early 2023, but these gains have since stalled, according to a May study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

As geopolitical, economic and cybersecurity issues continue to pose risks to health system supply chains, leaders at top organizations weighed in on a shared priority – making supply chains more resilient and sustainable.

Nearly six months after the FDA told healthcare workers to avoid plastic syringes made in China, the agency has placed import alerts on three China-based medical supply manufacturers.