From Gloves To Helium for MRIs, Iran War Is Rattling Medical Supply Chain
News outlets report on how the Middle East conflict is impacting medical supplies, drug prices, and even the amount of fluoride in some of Maryland's drinking water. Plus: An update on NIH payments.
The gas that keeps hospital MRI scanners running has been caught in the crossfire of the war in Iran, raising the prospect of diagnostic delays, rising costs and rationing of one of modern medicine鈥檚 most important imaging tools. (Anderson, 4/6)
Malaysian rubber glove maker WRP Asia Pacific Sdn. will begin winding down its business operations this month, citing 鈥渟evere disruptions across global energy and petrochemical supply chains鈥 caused by the Middle East conflict. ... The announcement comes as the US- and Israel-led war creates the largest oil supply shock in decades, stoking inflation, rattling financial markets and pushing up costs for everything from food to fuel. It has also put industries such as glove manufacturers at risk, as they rely on imports of nitrile latex 鈥 a synthetic rubber 鈥 whose prices are linked to energy markets. (Melin and Raghu, 4/8)
The war in Iran has slowed down international shipping, much of which contains medical and humanitarian goods destined for Asia and Africa. (Tanis, 4/6)
Effects could be felt for months in the form on higher prices for generic drugs and spot shortages. (Sullivan, 4/9)
The water utility for Maryland鈥檚 two largest counties has temporarily reduced the level of fluoride added to drinking water, citing nationwide supply chain challenges partly brought about by the war in Iran. (Scott and Hedgpeth, 4/9)
In other Trump administration news 鈥
The Trump administration will not be asking the Supreme Court to take up its fight to slash federal support for funding that the nation鈥檚 science enterprise relies on for basic operating costs. The deadline to do so came and went this week without a petition from Trump鈥檚 Department of Justice, effectively ending the 14-month standoff over a controversial policy to drastically reduce the rate of reimbursement for 鈥渋ndirect costs鈥 on federal grants.聽The legal battle between the administration and the research community started last February, when the National Institutes of Health abruptly announced it would cap payments for research overhead at 15%. Three lawsuits opposing the caps were immediately filed by state attorneys general and organizations representing private and public universities, hospitals, and academic medical centers.聽(Molteni, 4/8)
