Abbott ACT Shortage Update

21 followers
0 Likes

I just wanted to check in to see if anyone has any updates regarding the iSTAT ACT-k cartridge and QC shortage. My rep is hopeful that we should be out of allocation in the next few weeks. They are receiving more inventory and they are able to fill more ACT cartridge orders. Controls are another story; they do not know when allocation for these will end, especially for level 1 QC.

Does anyone else have any additional information regarding this? My hospital has no backup for these, aside from core lab FXa, and it's not realistic to bring on another test system just for this temporary backorder. We are keeping in close contact with our rep as well as our departments that use this test to keep everyone up to date regarding the situation.

5 Replies

Hi there,

We were told by our Abbott rep that the "manufacturing issue" has been resolved but that they are still working on building their supply back up.  We received about 1/4 of our total order yesterday, so cartridges are still on allocation.

We are in the same boat, where we have no backup for these cartridges and the non-transparency from Abbott has been beyond frustrating.  We have also been seeking information regarding the QC shortage (as we are going through QC much faster QC'ing partial shipments).  The last I heard from them (which was weeks ago) was that they were hoping to have the QC issue resolved in May. 

Matt T

My rep said the same thing.  Is there anyone that has a plan in place that utilizes a secondary method in case the supply does not meet the demand?  If so, what is your backup method?

Does anyone have an update on this? I have not been able to get in contact with our Rep in over 1.5 months and I have not been told anything by Abbott when I've asked other people. They just keep saying that they will notify my area Rep. 

Our departments want to get back to normal though so I'm hoping the Cartridge and QC issues are fixed. 

As far as I know, the ACT cartridge and QC issues have resolved. I spoke with one of the regional managers and our sales rep over a month ago. 
Here is a basic rundown of what happened:
  • Abbott was getting complaints of ACT cartridges not filling properly. Sample filling relies not just on capillary action, but also on a slight electrical charge in the cartridge. The manufacturing line for both ACTk and ACTc had an issue with not being able to put the charge in the cartridges. 
  • The line had to be shut down in order to be fixed. They ran low on ACT cartridges and QC as they were troubleshooting and fixing.
  • There was more backup inventory of ACTc, so they didn't run as short, but ACTk ran low very quickly.
  • Once the line was back up and running, there were also issues with the FedEx shipping warehouse in Tennessee, causing delayed shipping. (I think there were worker strikes or something of that matter.)
  • From my understanding, they should be close to full inventory now for both ACTk, ACTc, and ACT QC.

Thank you Rachel. Glad to know we should be essentially back to normal. 

You're saying the QC issues were fixed too?

My understanding with the QC was that it was the permanent closure of the third-party manufacturer that produced the control fluids that caused the allocation issues. Last I spoke to my Rep, they were still working on getting the new vendor they found through the approval process and was told that could take a while. He also mentioned they were looking into other alternatives for us. 

Reply
Subgroup Membership is required to post Replies
Join POCT Listserv now
Rachel Donner
4 months ago
5
Replies
0
Likes
21
Followers
703
Views
Liked By:
Suggested Posts
TopicRepliesLikesViewsParticipantsLast Reply
AI/Copilot Lab Document Management using Sharepoint
Jo Win
1 day ago
10151
Autilia Sisti
about 9 hours ago
GEM7000 Validation Question
Aimee Skinner, DrPH, MSPH
2 days ago
100360
Jo Win
1 day ago
Seeking a copy of the COLA Accreditation Manual
Bill Donohue
2 days ago
10198
Bill Donohue
1 day ago