Medline and BD create an extra supply cushion for eight widely used syringes
By Medline Newsroom Staff | February 24, 2026
Medline and BD create an extra supply cushion for eight widely used syringes
In response to import shortages that affected the industry, the companies are working together to maintain 45 days of stock for the BD devices in greatest demand
In late 2023, disruptions involving plastic hypodermic syringes affected both supply chains and healthcare providers. Seeing the sudden unmet demand, New Jersey-based medical supply giant BD stepped forward to help cover it.
“These syringes are essential medical products that are used in virtually every kind of patient visit, whether it’s a hospital or a doctor’s office, so there was immense constraint in the U.S. market as overseas imports were restricted,” said Todd Dieckhoner, vice president and general manager for BD Medication Delivery Solutions in North America.
Significant progress has been made to close the gap. BD, a longtime industry leader in the manufacture of needles and syringes, invested millions of dollars in 2024 and 2025 to add new production lines and boost efficiency at its manufacturing sites in Canaan, Conn., and Columbus, Neb. The result is hundreds of millions of additional syringe units per year.
And now, because of a new collaboration with Medline, there’s even more reason for providers to breathe easier.
This month, the two companies – manufacturer and distributor – are officially letting their mutual customers know that Medline is maintaining 45 days of BD inventory at its U.S. distribution centers (up from the typical target of 30 days) for eight plastic hypodermic syringes that are among the highest in demand:
“Traditionally, distributors carry roughly 30 days of inventory for a given product,” said Joe DiCandilo, group vice president of channel management for BD. “When you have these types of challenges and supply disruptions that the U.S. has seen more of since the COVID-19 pandemic, it puts a strain on everybody. So our commitment, along with Medline’s commitment, is to invest and carry more inventory of these critical items to satisfy demand, with a focus on patient care and customer service. With this program, supply chain and clinical leaders can know they’re going to have a high-quality product when they need it as they deliver care in very challenging times.”
As standard practice, Medline works closely with manufacturers behind the scenes to anticipate, prevent and solve supply chain challenges, but this type of inventory program with BD is more expansive, designed to give customers added comfort about an ongoing industry issue.
“The concept is relatively new in terms of it being a committed program over the length of an agreement, versus helping to weather a short-term supply disruption,” said Kira Holguin, director of vendor relations for Medline. “I think it all comes from the conversation Medline continues to have in the industry and in the market around forward-deployed inventory. This is the best form of supply chain resiliency when we’re talking to vendors: How can we get more products in our branches and available for the customer to purchase?”
For BD, a partnership between the two companies to increase supply closer to the customer was a natural fit.
“We’ve been strong partners now for many years as two of the largest and most trusted names in U.S. healthcare,” Dieckhoner said. “We started brainstorming on how we could capitalize on BD’s manufacturing leadership and optimize Medline’s distribution excellence to reinforce supply chain resiliency, eliminating disruptions and minimizing any impact on the clinical workplace.”
That kind of teamwork – not always the case in healthcare supply chains – goes a long way.
“At the end of the day, when we listen to our customers, what they want most is to have product available to be able to take care of patients,” said Kyle Hoffmann, Medline’s senior vice president for vendor relations. “There can be a tendency in our industry for the manufacturer and distributor to point fingers at each other when supply challenges happen. This collaboration is an example of manufacturer and distributor working together to build a program that makes healthcare more resilient, and we’re doing it for our mutual customers.”
Call it a shot in the arm for effective collaboration.
“It’s exciting to be able to find a win-win for customers,” Dieckhoner said. “BD making more product and Medline carrying more inventory should give providers confidence to say, ‘Wow, I don’t need to think about this anymore.’”
Learn how Medline can help optimize your inventory, storage space, systems and time with its supply chain solutions.
Learn more about BD hypodermic syringes.
Medline Newsroom Staff
Medline Newsroom Staff
Medline's newsroom staff researches and reports on the latest news and trends in healthcare.