Alert Context

Cato's sourcing team is tracking extended, rolling backorders on Avagard Surgical Hand Antiseptics, specifically 3M / Solventum SKUs 9200 (500mL) and 9216 (1200mL), with intermittent allocation expected to persist through May 2026.

Shortages, which have been ongoing since October 2025, stem from the interplay between external supply disruptions and internal production constraints.

Supply Gap Analysis

A tornado destroyed the facility of a primary upstream chemical supplier that produces the specialty intermediate used to feed the CHG and alcohol formulations.

Substituting raw materials into these standardized, FDA-approved formulations requires extensive validation, stability testing, and regulatory submissions, making the reestablishment of supply continuity time-consuming.

While this external disruption occurs, the manufacturer is engaged in multi-year reformulations in line with a corporate commitment to exit PFAS chemical manufacturing.

Coupled with restructuring efforts to consolidate its manufacturing footprint, production of Avagard Surgical Hand Antiseptics is limited to specific facilities, with no qualified geographic backups ready to absorb volume. As a result, the market is competing for tightly rationed output.

What Health Systems Can Do Now

Optionality in consumables such as Avagard is a sustainable strategy to embed intrinsic resilience into procurement operations. Cato can assist teams with immediate mitigation steps.

1. Immediate access to clinical equivalents: Cato can help source readily available CHG-based surgical hand antiseptics from alternative manufacturers such as BD and Ecolab/GOJO (Provon). These suppliers utilize the same drug class and share an equivalent clinical evidence base.
2. Bridge protocol support: If perioperative teams are shifting back to the traditional CHG brush scrub method as an interim solution, Cato can secure the necessary inventory to support that transition. Scheduling should also be coordinated, as this method takes three to five minutes compared to the 90-second Avagard application.
3. Formulary resilience planning: Cato recommends keeping at least two approved antiseptic products on formulary from different manufacturers to prevent future stockouts, and can help secure backup inventory quickly.

If immediate coverage is needed, send required volumes and Cato will confirm real-time availability for clinical equivalents.

Our Risk Radar technology provides live updates on medical supply disruptions. Access it here.

• Track Avagard 9200 and 9216 allocations as intermittent supply may persist through May 2026.
• Prepare bridge protocols for CHG brush scrub workflows where Avagard inventory is constrained.
• Keep at least two approved antiseptic products on formulary to reduce future stockout risk.