Pfizer’s production facilities appear undamaged by N. Carolina tornado, CEO says
2023.07.21 15:31
© Reuters. The roof of a Pfizer facility shows heavy damage after a tornado passed the area in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. July 19, 2023. ABC Affiliate WTVD via REUTERS
(Reuters) – Pfizer Inc (NYSE:) CEO Albert Bourla said on Friday that tornado damage this week had almost completely destroyed the drugmaker’s warehouse in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but that production facilities do not seem to have suffered damage.
Bourla told a news conference in Rocky Mount that crews were working to restore power to the plant, but it will be a monumental task to repair the damage.
It will take weeks to restart facilities at the plant, even if there is no structural damage, Bourla said.
The Rocky Mount plant is one of the largest factories for sterile injectable medicines in the world. Products produced there include anesthesia, painkillers and anti-infective medicines for use in hospitals.
Nearly 25 percent of Pfizer’s sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals are produced there, according to the company’s website.
