This aerial photo shows damage to the Pfizer pharmaceutical plant after a tornado hit two days earlier on July 21, 2023 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Sean Rayford | Getty’s paintings
Pfizer on Friday said there didn’t appear to be any serious damage drug production areas of your plant in Rocky Mount in North Carolinaafter a tornado hit the facility two days earlier.
The plant supplies nearly 8% of the total sterile for injection drugs utilized in hospitals in the US, including anesthetics, analgesics, therapeutics, anti-infectives and neuromuscular blockers. Pfizer added that the facility produces about 25% of the company’s sterile injectables.
According to Pfizer, an initial assessment showed that the tornado primarily damaged a warehouse where raw materials, packaging materials and finished drugs were stored awaiting quality assurance.
The drugmaker has not said whether it expects the damage to lead to latest drug shortages or exacerbate existing ones – look after some health experts.
The damage comes as the United States already faces unprecedented drug shortages, from ADHD pills to painkillers to injectable cancer therapies. These shortages are caused, amongst other things, by problems with production quality control and a pointy increase in demand.
The North Carolina facility is closed while Pfizer and native and federal authorities proceed to assess the damage.
The corporate noted that 3,200 Pfizer employees and contractors who worked at the facility were able to evacuate and reach shelters from the storm.
The drugmaker said it was working to move the drug products to nearby sites for storage and discover sources to replace damaged raw materials and supplies.
Pfizer can also be exploring alternative manufacturing locations in the US and around the world through its own facilities and partners.
The corporate said it was “committed to quickly restoring the site to full functionality, which plays a key role in the U.S. healthcare system.” It’s considered one of 10 Pfizer production facilities in the country.
Pfizer also noted that it’s working closely with Food and Drug Commissioner Robert Califf, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and other state, local and federal officials.
Califf said in Twitter entry Thursday that the FDA was “following the situation closely.”