GE Healthcare investing $138 million to bolster contrast supply
GE Healthcare is making moves to increase its supply of much-needed contrast media used for millions of medical exams annually.
It is estimated that the demand for contrast-enhanced imaging could double over the next decade. That, combined with a major supply chain disruption in 2022 that left many radiology departments scrambling to compensate for a massive shortage of the agent, has prompted numerous stakeholders across the globe to take action to ensure such hiccups do not throw the imaging industry into disarray again.
With these things in mind, GE Healthcare is planning to invest tens of millions of dollars in its contrast manufacturing operations. The healthcare giant announced Friday that a $138 million expansion of its Carrigtohill, Cork, contrast media fill and finish manufacturing site in Ireland.
The new addition, which will be located on the same grounds as the current Cork site, will pave the way for GE to produce an additional 25 million doses of iodinated contrast per year by 2027. GE will incorporate solution preparation vessels, multi-functional powder handling systems, a new filling line and autoclaves and the integration of advanced automation systems to streamline the manufacturing process.
“As an industry leader we have a responsibility to help meet the growing global demand for contrast media from healthcare providers and their patients,” President & CEO of GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics segment, Kevin O’Neill, said in an announcement on the expansion. “This new facility demonstrates our broader commitment not just to address future demand, but also to increase resiliency and security of industry supply for customers.”
“This is the latest of GE HealthCare’s investments in its Cork site, which has been producing vital pharmaceuticals for over 30 years,” IDA Ireland Executive Director Michael Lohan added. “The continued growth and development of the site is testament to its commitment to serving patients and to Ireland’s leadership and support for the pharmaceutical industry.”
The expansion is set to begin in February and is expected to create over 250 new construction roles to the area.
Learn more about the project here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.