No major tornado damage to drug manufacturing in NC facility

Pfizer on Friday said there doesn’t look like major damage to the drug manufacturing areas of its plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, after a tornado hit the power two days earlier. 

The plant supplies nearly 8% of all sterile injectable medicines utilized in U.S. hospitals, including anesthesia, analgesia, therapeutics, anti-infectives and neuromuscular blockers. Pfizer added that the power manufactures about 25% of the corporate’s sterile injectables. 

An initial assessment found that the tornado primarily damaged a warehouse facility, which stored raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines waiting to receive quality assurance, in line with Pfizer. 

The drugmaker didn’t say whether it expected that damage to guide to latest drug shortages or exacerbate any current ones – a concern for some health experts. 

The damage comes because the U.S. is already facing an unprecedented shortage of drugs, starting from ADHD pills to pain medicine to injectable cancer therapies. Those shortages are driven by manufacturing quality control issues and surges in demand, amongst other aspects. 

The North Carolina plant is closed while Pfizer and each local and federal authorities further evaluate the damage.

The three,200 Pfizer employees and contractors who worked on the plant were in a position to evacuate and reach storm shelters before the tornado hit, the corporate noted.

The drugmaker said it’s working to maneuver medicine products to nearby sites for storage and discover sources to exchange damaged raw materials and supplies. 

Pfizer can also be exploring alternative manufacturing locations within the U.S. and internationally through its own sites and partners. 

The corporate said it’s “committed to rapidly restoring full function to the location, which plays a critical role within the U.S. healthcare system.” It’s one in all 10 Pfizer manufacturing sites within the country.

Pfizer also noted that it’s working closely with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other state, local and federal officials.

Califf said in a Twitter post Thursday that the FDA is “following the situation closely.”