ASPR to test automated sterile saline system to help prevent IV shortages

The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response June 5 announced it selected two locations to test an automated, point-of-care, sterile saline manufacturing system that could help prevent or mitigate intravenous fluid shortages in the U.S. The system, called Caspian, began development in 2019. One unit will be tested at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., while the other will be tested and reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. ASPR has been working with Manchester, N.H.-based DEKA Research and Development Corp. on manufacturing the units, with the intent of producing up to 500 bags of IV fluid per day.