• Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Nvidia ACE Brings AI to Game Characters, Allows Lifelike Conversations

May 29, 2023

‘Economic security’ threat to Asia-Pacific

May 29, 2023

Amish families have figured out an ingenious way to dry clothes without household appliances in the winter — here’s how they do it

May 29, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Demo
  • Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Home » Medical device makers see little impact from Fiona on Puerto Rico operations
Extreme

Medical device makers see little impact from Fiona on Puerto Rico operations

NewsBy NewsSeptember 23, 2022Updated:September 23, 2022No Comments3 Mins Read0 Views
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Sept 23 (Reuters) – Medical device companies and some drugmakers with manufacturing operations in Puerto Rico said they do not expect meaningful disruption from Hurricane Fiona, which knocked out power for over 3 million people and caused flooding and landslides on the island.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which worked with companies to prevent shortages of drugs and medical devices after Hurricane Maria battered the medical manufacturing hub in 2017, said it is in discussion with companies it regulates there regarding any impact on supplies.

Most companies Reuters spoke to, including Baxter International (BAX.N), said they had initially either temporarily halted operations or were running their plants on generators since Fiona struck on Sunday.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

None said they expected supplies to the United States to be significantly disrupted by the storm, in part due to infrastructure changes, such as building up their generator power, following Hurricane Maria.

The electricity grid on the island is owned by bankrupt state-run Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and is now operated by LUMA Energy, a private joint venture of Canadian energy firm ATCO Ltd and U.S. energy contractor Quanta Services (PWR.N).

While the pace of power restoration has been much faster than following the devastation of Maria, an estimated 1 million homes and businesses remain without power.
Baxter, which makes small bags for intravenous medication, clinical nutrition products and inhaled anesthetics in Puerto Rico, said its facilities have “sustained little to no damage” from the storm.

By Thursday, Baxter had restarted operations and was running at normal, pre-hurricane levels, spokesperson Lauren Russ said.

The company took a $70 million revenue hit after Hurricane Maria in 2017, spurring it to diversify manufacturing of key products.

Ahead of hurricane season, the company now builds up supplies of some products and stores much of it on the U.S. mainland, Russ said, adding that Baxter had good inventory levels for most products produced in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic for U.S. customers.

Integra Lifesciences (IART.O) and Abbott Laboratories also upgraded back-up generators and communication capabilities and shored up infrastructure at plants such as improvements to roofs and pipes, their spokespeople said.

“Most MedTech companies are more prepared with greater redundancy” than when Maria hit, J.P Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus in a research note.

Spokespeople for other medical equipment companies including Becton Dickinson (BDX.N), Medtronic (MDT.N), Edwards Lifesciences (EW.N) and Stryker (SYK.N) also said they were not seeing a major impact to operations from Hurricane Fiona due to measures undertaken following Maria.

Drugmakers with plants in Puerto Rico said they have been able to keep up production and supplies as well.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) said operations were restored at all its sites in Puerto Rico by Wednesday.

AbbVie’s (ABBV.N) facilities are intact and operational and unlikely to see any patient impact or product shortages due to Fiona, according to a person familiar with the company’s operations who asked not to be named.

Eli Lilly and Co has not experienced any disruptions to its site or supply, spokesperson Molly McCully said.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Reporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Michael Erman; editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
News
  • Website

Related Posts

State Farm will no longer accept applications for homeowners insurance in California, citing wildfire risk

May 28, 2023

Guam Typhoon Highlights Threat To US Military’s Pacific Strategy

May 28, 2023

How wildfire smoke harms lungs: a toxicologist explains

May 28, 2023

Wildfire near Veneta continues to burn

May 28, 2023

State Farm stops home insurance sales in California, citing wildfire risks

May 28, 2023

Tornado Cash governance control set to be restored as voters approve proposal

May 28, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • Nvidia ACE Brings AI to Game Characters, Allows Lifelike Conversations
  • ‘Economic security’ threat to Asia-Pacific
  • Amish families have figured out an ingenious way to dry clothes without household appliances in the winter — here’s how they do it
  • 21st Century Technologies: Microfluidics
  • Apple’s Mixed-Reality Headset Clash With Meta To Play Out Same Way As Former’s 15-Year Fight With Google’s Android, Says Gurman – Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM)
Recent Comments
    Demo
    Top Posts

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Don't Miss

    Nvidia ACE Brings AI to Game Characters, Allows Lifelike Conversations

    May 29, 2023

    There are so many ways you can have a text chat with a large language…

    ‘Economic security’ threat to Asia-Pacific

    May 29, 2023

    Amish families have figured out an ingenious way to dry clothes without household appliances in the winter — here’s how they do it

    May 29, 2023

    21st Century Technologies: Microfluidics

    May 28, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    Most Popular

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Our Picks

    Nvidia ACE Brings AI to Game Characters, Allows Lifelike Conversations

    May 29, 2023

    ‘Economic security’ threat to Asia-Pacific

    May 29, 2023

    Amish families have figured out an ingenious way to dry clothes without household appliances in the winter — here’s how they do it

    May 29, 2023
    Editor's Pick

    Turkey: Foreign tourists evacuated as wildfires threaten resorts

    August 1, 2021

    Society 5.0: What To Do Today To Be Ready To Support Human-Centered Innovation

    January 4, 2023

    Dry Southwest braces for stiffer winds, ‘epic’ fire danger

    April 29, 2022
    Futurist Journal
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2023 futuristjournal.com - All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.