Minimal Impact on Supply Chain From Pfizer’s Drug Plant Tornado Damage, FDA Says

Despite the catastrophic damage a tornado caused to Pfizer’s colossal sterile injectable drug manufacturing plant and warehouse in Rocky Mount, N.C., last week, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf says he doesn't expect “immediate significant impacts” on the supply chain.

On July 19, local news media reported that a twister struck the facility’s 1.4 million square foot distribution and storage building, flattening it and damaging more than 100 vehicles and storage trucks. Pfizer’s Rocky Mount site is one of the largest sterile injectable facilities in the world, with 200 million units shipped globally from the facility.

“Importantly,” said Califf, “we do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system,” but he added that this is a dynamic situation and agency staff are in frequent communication with Pfizer and other manufacturers.

Pfizer said in a statement that crews are working around the clock to restore power, assess the structural integrity of the building and move finished medicines to nearby sites for storage. The company added that an initial assessment showed no major damage to the medicine production areas. Most of the damage was caused to the warehouse facility, which stores raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished medicines awaiting release by quality assurance.

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