Global healthcare company Fresenius Kabi will introduce a portfolio of generic contrast agents in the U.S. to counter shortages of contrast media due to COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions.
The Germany-based company will start with the immediate launch of iodixanol, one of the contrast agents that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed as being in short supply in the U.S. Iodixanol is a generic iso-osmolar, dimeric iodinated contrast agent that is used during CT scans.
The current shortage of contrast media began in May, when a manufacturing plant in Shanghai, China operated by GE Healthcare was shut down due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the city. Production at the facility has returned to normal, but many hospitals continue to look for alternatives for agents including iodixanol and iohexol.
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
