Philips Says Helium Supply Challenged By Hormuz Closure (1)

Royal Philips is dealing with difficulties sourcing helium for MRI and CT scanners that rely on the gas to function with the closure of the Hormuz waterway crimping deliveries.

“Medical imaging has a huge global footprint and unfortunately indeed with the Strait of Hormuz we saw that the vulnerability of the dependency of such a finite material,” Chief Executive Officer Roy Jakobs said Wednesday in an interview. The supply snags have “led to immediate challenges” for the industry, he said.

Philips has been working on products that use next to no helium for roughly a decade. Last year, 75% of ...