Pfizer Plant Damaged After North Carolina Tornado, 'Long-Term Shortages' of Medicine are Likely, Expert Says
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A warehouse at Pfizer’s Rocky Mount, North Carolina facility — which holds “finished medicines” — was damaged Wednesday following a tornado, the pharmaceutical company said
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A Pfizer plant has suffered extensive damage after a tornado ripped through the building, which could lead to shortages of medical supplies nationwide.
The pharmaceutical company announced on Wednesday that a portion of its Rocky Mount, North Carolina, facility was significantly damaged during the “violent” storm. Damage was caused to the warehouse, which stores raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished medicines awaiting release by quality assurance.
“We can confirm that the Pfizer Rocky Mount facility was damaged by the tornado. Pfizer colleagues at the site followed our established safety protocol and were able to evacuate. They are safe and accounted for,” the company said. “We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident.”
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“Our colleagues at the site do incredibly important work manufacturing sterile injectable products used by hospitals and health care providers around the world,” the company's CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla, tweeted alongside a photo of the damaged building. “We are working urgently to determine the best way to get back online as quickly as possible, while ensuring the safety of our people.”
All of us at Pfizer have spent the past 24 hours concerned about our colleagues and contractors at our Rocky Mount facility, which sustained a tremendous amount of damage yesterday when a tornado touched down in the community. I am very relieved to share that all have been… pic.twitter.com/AcJXEfcXnw
— Albert Bourla (@AlbertBourla) July 20, 2023
The Rocky Mount facility, one of the largest drug manufacturing facilities in the world, is responsible for producing nearly 25 percent of Pfizer's sterile injectable medicines used in U.S. hospitals, the company’s website states. The products the factory produces include anesthesia, painkillers, therapeutics, anti-infectives and muscle relaxants.
Erin Fox — an associate chief pharmacy officer at University of Utah Health who monitors drug shortages — told CBS News that the damage "will likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds."
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A drug shortage won’t happen overnight though, Mariana Socal — associate scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health — told the Wall Street Journal, noting that for the time being, hospitals can access supplies that have already been manufactured and are in transport.
However, the impact of the tornado will likely be felt in coming weeks. “In a matter of weeks or months the supply can just be depleted if other plants or manufacturers can’t expand their production,” Socal added.
It's not yet clear which drugs were impacted, which drugs may be in shortage or how long a shortage could last. Pfizer said they are still assessing the damage and how it will impact production. The Rocky Mount site is currently closed until further notice.
“Pfizer is committed to rapidly restoring full function to the site, which plays a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system,” the company said Friday. “After an initial assessment, there does not appear to be any major damage to the medicine production areas.”
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