BD experiencing reduced availability of BD BACTEC vials from supplier

BD issued a statement related to a U.S. FDA letter to health care providers regarding the supply of blood culture vials: Nikos Pavlidis, worldwide president of BD Diagnostic Solutions said, “BD is experiencing reduced availability of blood culture vials from our supplier. We understand the critical role that blood culture testing plays in diagnosing and treating infections and are taking all available measures to address this important issue, including providing the supplier our manufacturing expertise, using air shipments, modifying BD manufacturing schedules for rapid production, and collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review all potential options to mitigate delays in supply. As an additional stopgap measure, our former supplier of glass vials will restart production to help fill the intermittent gap in supply. We take our responsibility to support health care providers and patients very seriously and, while we are able to meet the majority of global demand, we are taking all available measures to address this important issue. BD BACTEC blood culture vials are being allocated manually so we can best mitigate any impact to patient care. Customers have been advised to prioritize the use of blood culture vials based on clinical needs and following guidelines, such as the most recent update from the Infectious Disease and Society of America and/or the World Health Organization. While this supplier issue is not expected to have a material financial impact on BD, we are fully focused on returning the supply of blood culture vials to normal levels.”