Climate Change Threatens US Drug Output, Study Says

When Hurricane Helene barreled across several southern states last fall, it destroyed homes and killed more than 150 people. The storm also took out one of the country’s main factories producing intravenous fluid bags widely used in hospitals.

The ensuing shortage forced manufacturer Baxter International Inc. to ration supplies and hospitals to use fewer IV bags, illustrating the risks that climate change poses to the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Nearly two-thirds of US drug production facilities are located in areas that have had a major disaster like a fire or hurricane in recent years, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed ...