Last updated: April 26, 2026
Who Supplies “POTASSIUM CHLORIDE 40 mEq IN PLASTIC CONTAINER”?
What products fall under this description?
“Potassium chloride 40 mEq” in a plastic container is sold in multiple dosage forms and packaging configurations. The supplier landscape depends on which exact product you mean (tablet vs. oral solution vs. IV concentrate), because potassium chloride is manufactured in different strengths and container types.
With the information provided, the product can map to these common commercial categories:
| Likely category |
Typical presentation |
Container type |
What “40 mEq” usually means |
| Oral electrolyte replacement |
Oral solution/syrup or powder packets |
Plastic bottle (HDPE) or plastic unit dose |
Total delivered mEq per unit |
| IV electrolyte |
Potassium chloride injection concentrate |
Vial/ampule or infusion bag (plastic) |
Potassium content expressed in mEq per container |
Because the container type is specified as “plastic,” this description more often aligns with oral solutions in HDPE bottles or IV preparations in plastic infusion containers/bags, but exact match cannot be established from the label text alone.
Which suppliers typically manufacture potassium chloride products?
Below are the supplier groups that commonly manufacture and distribute potassium chloride across oral and injectable markets. These entities sell under their own labels and/or as contract manufacturers.
Tier 1 branded manufacturers and large generics
- B. Braun (injectables and hospital supply chains)
- Fresenius Kabi (injectables and IV-related formulations)
- Hospira (brand history within Pfizer; generics and injectables market legacy)
- Teva Pharmaceuticals (broad generics portfolio including electrolytes in many markets)
- Mylan/Viatris (generics including electrolyte products in multiple geographies)
- Perrigo (oral solids/liquids in various segments depending on market)
Specialty sterile and contract manufacturers (CMOs)
- Samsung Biologics is not a direct fit for small-molecule sterile electrolytes; most CMOs here are sterile compounding or small-molecule injectables manufacturers.
- Clinigen/Pharmacy compounding networks can be involved as distributors/relabelers in some regions, but they are not primary manufacturers.
For potassium chloride, the most relevant supplier set in procurement practice is typically:
- Primary manufacturers of sterile electrolytes for IV use
- Oral solution manufacturers for replacement therapy
How do distributors typically source and supply this exact packaging?
Procurement for “40 mEq in plastic container” commonly happens through:
- National hospital group purchasing organizations (GPOs) or equivalent
- Wholesale distributors carrying multiple manufacturer SKUs under the same clinical descriptor
- Private label relabeling in some channels, where the “mEq per container” stays constant but the manufacturer differs by lot
Common distribution channels include:
- AmerisourceBergen (McKesson/ Cardinal-style supply chains depending on region)
- Cardinal Health
- McKesson
These distributors often source potassium chloride through multiple manufacturers so the “plastic container 40 mEq” SKU can shift manufacturer by lot or contract.
What supplier types should you treat as decision-critical?
For operational purchasing, supplier reliability usually depends on these product-control points:
| Decision point |
Why it matters |
Supplier capability signal |
| Container and mEq specification consistency |
Prevents dosing mismatch |
Manufacturer controls packaging and fill process |
| Sterility and quality system |
Critical for IV use |
Sterile manufacturing approvals, batch release standards |
| Regulatory status per geography |
Avoids substitution delays |
Market authorization and ongoing compliance |
| Lead-time and lot availability |
Controls pharmacy stocking |
Established distributor contracts and inventory |
Where to find the authoritative supplier list (without guesswork)
The definitive “supplier list” for this exact product text is the one tied to the exact commercial label and product code in your jurisdiction (NDC/market authorization number). Without that code, suppliers can only be mapped at the category level.
In practice, the authoritative sources used by pharma procurement teams are:
- National drug product registries (entry keyed to exact strength and container)
- NDC/label databases (for US)
- EMA national authorizations or local regulators (for EU/UK and other markets)
- Wholesaler catalog SKUs (for distribution-level supply)
Key Takeaways
- “Potassium chloride 40 mEq in plastic container” matches multiple product categories and container formats; a complete supplier list requires the exact product identifier used in your market.
- In most procurement settings, the supplier pool falls into: large generic and sterile injectable manufacturers, plus hospital-focused distributors that carry multiple manufacturers under the same clinical descriptor.
- To lock suppliers to the correct “40 mEq + plastic container” configuration, procurement systems index by exact authorization number/SKU, not by free-text.
FAQs
1) Can the supplier differ if the product is oral vs IV?
Yes. Oral formulations and IV concentrates frequently come from different manufacturing sites and regulatory pathways.
2) Do wholesalers guarantee the same manufacturer by lot?
Often they carry multiple manufacturers and can substitute by contract and availability unless procurement is locked by exact SKU.
3) Are potassium chloride products commonly available from multiple generic manufacturers?
Yes. Potassium chloride is widely generic, so manufacturer options usually exist for many strengths and package configurations.
4) Does “plastic container” imply an infusion bag?
Not necessarily. “Plastic container” can refer to HDPE bottles for oral solutions or plastic infusion containers/bags for IV use.
5) What is the fastest way procurement teams validate the correct supplier?
They validate against the exact market identifier tied to the label configuration (e.g., NDC or the relevant authorization number), then map that identifier to manufacturer and packager.
Sources
[1] FDA, Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/).
[2] DailyMed, Drug Label Database (https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/).
[3] EMA, European Medicines Agency: Medicines Database (https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines).
[4] World Health Organization, ATC/DDD Index (for potassium chloride classification by route and formulation context) (https://www.whocc.no/atc_ddd_index/).
