Tornado at Pfizer plant accentuates US drug shortage issues
By 
Anthony King2023-09-20T05:00:00
Perennial problem will not be addressed without major reforms to drug market
On 20 July, a tornado tore through a Pfizer plant in Rocky Mount, US, destroying part of a large facility that makes sterile injectable drugs. The facility manufactures a quarter of Pfizer’s sterile injectables for US hospitals, comprising around 8% of total US consumption.
An initial FDA analysis pinpointed fewer than 10 drugs for which the Rocky Mount plant is the sole source for the US market, with Pfizer itself outlining 12 products of concern. Nonetheless, the disruption caused alarm amongst drug purchasers because there are already hundreds of drugs listed as in short supply in the US.