https://sputnikglobe.com/20230721/tornado-tears-apart-pfizer-plant-threatens-medical-supplies-for-us-hospitals-1112023889.html
Tornado Tears Apart Pfizer Plant, Threatens Medical Stockpiles for US Hospitals
Tornado Tears Apart Pfizer Plant, Threatens Medical Stockpiles for US Hospitals
Sputnik International
The tornado will affect medical supplies for hospitals across the US, which are already experiencing a 10-year high in the shortage of their medicine.
2023-07-21T01:16+0000
2023-07-21T01:16+0000
2023-07-21T01:14+0000
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A tornado in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, caused severe damage on Wednesday to a Pfizer manufacturing plant responsible for producing at least 25% of sterile injectable medications to US hospitals.The facility is also known for producing low-cost generic products which include IV antibiotics, anti-seizure drugs used for brain surgery, and even antidote for snake venom.A health official has warned that the destruction will “likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds.” The damage could further exacerbate existing drug shortages, which have reached a 10-year high. Additionally, Pfizer reported 130 products that were “depleted” and 100 more that were “limited supply” even before the tornado destroyed their plant.The twister that ripped through the area along a 16-mile strip was issued an EF3 grade, which stipulates the "severe" tornado maintained wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.At least three people were injured in the tornado, with two sustaining life-threatening injuries, according to the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, the neighboring Nash County, reported 13 injured and 89 structures damaged."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," Pfizer tweeted on Wednesday.The company, according to a New York outlet, declined to comment on which drugs were affected as well as the amount of drugs that were destroyed. “We are following the situation closely as it evolves and are working with the company to understand the extent of the damage and any potential impact to the nation’s drug supply,” Chanapa Tantibanchachai, a spokeswoman for Pfizer, added.
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Tornado Tears Apart Pfizer Plant, Threatens Medical Stockpiles for US Hospitals
The North Carolina plant produces nearly a quarter of all sterile injectable medications used in hospitals across the US, as well as anesthesia and other drugs.
A tornado in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, caused severe damage on Wednesday to a Pfizer manufacturing plant responsible for producing at least 25% of sterile injectable medications to US hospitals.
The facility is also known for producing low-cost generic products which include IV antibiotics, anti-seizure drugs used for brain surgery, and even antidote for snake venom.
A
health official has warned that the destruction will “likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds.” The damage could further exacerbate existing drug shortages, which have reached a
10-year high.
Additionally, Pfizer reported 130 products that were “depleted” and 100 more that were “
limited supply” even before the tornado destroyed their plant.
The twister that ripped through the area along a 16-mile strip was issued an EF3 grade, which stipulates the "severe" tornado maintained wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.
"I've got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind," said Keith Stone, the Nash County Sheriff.
At least three people were injured in the tornado, with two sustaining life-threatening injuries, according to the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, the neighboring Nash County, reported 13 injured and 89 structures damaged.
"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," Pfizer tweeted on Wednesday. The company, according to a
New York outlet, declined to comment on which drugs were affected as well as the amount of drugs that were destroyed. “We are following the situation closely as it evolves and are working with the company to understand the extent of the damage and any potential impact to the nation’s drug supply,” Chanapa Tantibanchachai, a spokeswoman for Pfizer, added.
