NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said last week that a tornado destroyed a warehouse at its Rocky Mount, North Carolina factory, potentially disrupting the supply of more than 30 pharmaceuticals, including injections of the pain reliever fentanyl and lidocaine.
The company said in a letter to hospital customers late last week that it had identified about 64 different formulations or doses of more than 30 drugs produced at the plant that could experience ongoing or new supply disruptions.
The company places limits on the amount of these drugs that customers can purchase.
The list is “based on Pfizer’s market share and less than three-month inventory levels across Pfizer’s distribution centers and wholesale chain,” it said.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourra said last week that the warehouse was completely destroyed by the tornado that hit the site on Wednesday, but the production facilities there did not appear to have suffered much damage.
The Rocky Mount Plant is one of the largest sterile injectable drug plants in the world. The Company’s products include anesthetics, pain relievers and anti-infectives used in hospitals.
Nearly 25 percent of Pfizer’s sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals are produced here, according to the company’s website.
Many of the medicines on Pfizer’s list are already facing shortages, said Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy operations and quality at the American Association of Health System Pharmacists.
“It’s very likely that hospitals and healthcare systems have already started addressing these shortages or have strategies in place to address them,” he said. “Therefore, we hope that the impact will be minimal.”
(Reporting by Michael Erman, Editing by Aurora Ellis)
