Newhouse Urges Biden Administration to Act on Medical Dye Shortage
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) joined 29 of his House Republican colleagues in a letter to President Biden about the nationwide shortage of intravenous contrast fluids in hospitals. These fluids are essential in performing Computer Tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect cancer and other serious conditions. The supply chain crisis and recent COVID-19 lockdowns in China have caused limited availability and delayed delivery of these products, which are expected to last throughout the summer months.
It is estimated that 50 million exams with contrast dyes are performed every year in the United States.
“With the lack of intravenous contrast fluids and the potential for further depletion, many physicians and patients could continue facing delays in the detection of diseases like cancer,” wrote the lawmakers. “We urge your Administration to immediately deploy a whole of government response and work directly with stakeholders to resolve this shortage.”
“Further, we understand that the shortage of intravenous contrast fluids has risen from lockdowns by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and our nation’s dependency on Chinese-made medical products,” the lawmakers continued. “It is imperative that you prioritize efforts to domestically produce medical products such as intravenous contrast fluids and reduce federal barriers that prevent disbursement of needed medical products.”
They concluded, “The need to immediately alleviate the shortage of intravenous contrast fluids is urgent and must be addressed, especially as more than 70 million CT scans are performed every year. Our offices stand ready to work with you to ensure that we have enough supply of this needed dye and other medical products for years to come.”
Other signers of the letter include Reps. Michelle Steel (CA-48), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Don Bacon (R-NE), David Joyce (R-OH), Bill Posey (R-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Dan Meuser (R-PA), David Valadao (R-CA), Young Kim, John Rutherford (R-FL), Sam Graves (R-TX), and Tom Emmer (R-MN).
You can read the full letter here and below.
Dear Mr. President,
As Members of Congress representing constituents whose livelihoods continue to face difficulties due to supply chain issues, the rising cost of fuel, and overreliance on Chinese-made medical products – we urge you to immediately alleviate shortages of intravenous contrast fluids, which are necessary to perform Computer Tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect cancer, diagnose trauma injuries, and identify clots in the brain or heart.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to report shortages of Iohexol and Iodixanol intravenous contrast media products, which are widely used in these medical scans. Hospitals nationwide are postponing procedures and rationing supplies of this needed dye. For example, at the University of Virginia, more than 680 CT imaging appointments that were scheduled between May 6 and June 30 have either been rescheduled or canceled due to this shortage. This is only one of many examples.
With the lack of intravenous contrast fluids and the potential for further depletion, many physicians and patients could continue facing delays in the detection of diseases like cancer. We urge your Administration to immediately deploy a whole of government response and work directly with stakeholders to resolve this shortage.
Further, we understand that the shortage of intravenous contrast fluids has risen from lockdowns by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and our nation’s dependency on Chinese-made medical products. It is imperative that you prioritize efforts to domestically produce medical products such as intravenous contrast fluids and reduce federal barriers that prevent disbursement of needed medical products. Moreover, this shortage highlights the urgent need to establish an outbound investment review process to ensure that critical capabilities are not being offshored, especially to our adversaries, without visibility by the U.S. government. A proactive approach would address supply chain resiliency, improve access to care, and lower costs for our constituents.
The need to immediately alleviate the shortage of intravenous contrast fluids is urgent and must be addressed, especially as more than 70 million CT scans are performed every year. Our offices stand ready to work with you to ensure that we have enough supply of this needed dye and other medical products for years to come.
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