No major tornado damage to drug manufacturing in NC facility

Faizr said on friday that there did not appear to be significant damage in pharmaceutical manufacturing areas of its plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolinaafter a tornado hit the facility two days earlier.

The factory provides nearly 8% of the total resource Sterile for injection Medications used in US hospitals, including anesthetics, analgesics, therapies, anti-infectives, and neuromuscular depressants. Pfizer added that the facility produces about 25% of the company’s sterile syringes.

An initial assessment found that the hurricane primarily damaged a warehouse facility that was stockpiling raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines pending quality assurance, according to Pfizer.

The drug company has not said whether it expects the harm to lead to new drug shortages or to exacerbate any existing shortages – a interest Some health experts.

The damage comes as the United States already faces unprecedented drug shortages, from ADHD pills to pain medications to injectable cancer treatments. This shortage is caused by manufacturing quality control issues and sharp increases in demand, among other factors.

The North Carolina plant has been closed while Pfizer and local and federal authorities assess the damage.

The company indicated that 3,200 Pfizer employees and contractors who were working at the factory were able to evacuate and reach storm shelters before the hurricane hit.

The pharmaceutical company said it is working to transport pharmaceutical products to nearby locations for storage and sourcing to replace damaged raw materials and supplies.

Pfizer is also exploring alternative manufacturing locations in the United States and internationally through its sites and partners.

The company said it was “committed to quickly restoring the full functionality of the site, which plays an important role in the US health care system.” It is one of 10 Pfizer manufacturing sites in the country.

Pfizer also indicated that it is working closely with FDA Commissioner Robert Calif, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and other local and federal officials in the state.

Cliff said in a Twitter post Thursday that the FDA is “monitoring the situation closely.”