Debris is scattered around a Pfizer facility in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, after severe weather damage. (Travis Long/News & Observer via AP)
Tom Murphy (AP Health Writer)
Fallout from a tornado-damaged Pfizer factory could put further pressure on already strained medical supplies for U.S. hospitals, experts say.
A tornado on Wednesday made landfall near Rocky Mount, N.C., destroying the roof of a Pfizer plant that makes about 25% of Pfizer’s sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals, according to the pharmaceutical company.
Pfizer said all employees were safely evacuated and treated, and no serious injuries were reported. The pharmaceutical company is still investigating the extent of the damage.
Here we take a closer look at the possible impact.
Our plant in North Carolina manufactures drugs for injection or infusion.
This factory manufactures anesthetics, anti-infectives, and drugs necessary for surgery. The latter is used in surgeries and intensive care units for patients on ventilators, said Mike Ganio, who studies drug shortages at the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.
Pfizer’s site does not manufacture or store any of its COVID-19 vaccines or treatments, Comilnati or Paxlovid.
Pfizer bought a factory in eastern North Carolina in 2015 as part of its Hospira acquisition.
It has over 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space, the equivalent of more than 24 football fields, and 22 packaging lines.
Pfizer says it employs well over 2,000 people.
Erin Foxx, senior director of pharmacy at Utah Health University, said it will likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer moves production elsewhere or rebuilds.
“If Pfizer goes bankrupt, it will be very difficult for other companies to close the gap,” Mr. Fox said.
It is not clear which drugs are involved in the shortage or how long the shortage will last.
“Anyone who knows about this incident is basically holding their breath at the moment, hoping for the best and waiting for the news,” Ganio said.
He said pharmaceutical companies tend to ship finished products quickly from the manufacturing floor, which could limit the extent of inventory damage caused by Twister.
They have some tools to cushion the patient.
Some hospitals are starting to stockpile medicines in storage rather than relying on regular deliveries from wholesalers. Gagnio said this is especially true for drugs that hospital officials have found difficult to obtain.
Hospitals may also switch to another dosage form, giving antibiotic tablets instead of IV drips, if the patient is able to cope with it. If a larger vial size of the drug is readily available, it may be ordered and filled into several syringes in small quantities for use.
Yes, it’s been going on for years. But recently, hospitals have been dealing with shortages of chemotherapy drugs, pain relievers, local anesthetics, and more.
The impact of drug shortages is not limited to hospitals. This has implications for routine care provided through drugstores and clinics.
As of the end of June, there are currently 309 drug shortages across the United States, according to the University of Utah Drug Information Service. That was up from 295 at the end of last year and the highest total since 2014.
The company has not disclosed what will happen next. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourra said on Twitter on Thursday that the company is “working urgently to determine the best way to get back online as soon as possible while keeping our employees safe.”
Pharmaceutical companies can move manufacturing elsewhere. However, it can be complicated as raw materials that are normally made elsewhere must be transferred to another location and workers may need to be trained to make the product.
Pfizer may also have to decide whether to cut production of another product to make more at the new location.
“It’s not as simple as flipping a switch to increase production,” says Gagnio.
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This article has been updated to show that the North Carolina plant produces nearly 25% of Pfizer’s sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals, but not nearly 25% of all injectables used in U.S. hospitals.
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Associated Press reporter Gary Robertson of Raleigh, North Carolina and Jonel Alecia of Temecula, California contributed to this report. Murphy reported from Indianapolis.
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The Associated Press’ Health Sciences Division is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.
