North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Pfizer has pledged financial support to help local communities affected by a tornado that touched down in Rocky Mount in July, significantly damaging the drug manufacturing site.
Crews worked around-the-clock to restore power, assess the structural integrity of the building and move finished medicines to nearby sites for storage.
“Clearly nature is strong. So too is ingenuity and the human spirit. A great deal of work needs to be done, but I assure everyone, most importantly the people of the Rocky Mount community, that we will put Pfizer’s full power behind this effort,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. “We will work in lockstep with our partners and local authorities to restore and rebuild the site and the community.”
Pfizer also announced a donation to the American Red Cross North Carolina Chapter and United Way Tar River Region to support the relief and recovery needs. Additionally, the Pfizer Foundation will match employee donations to these organizations.
The site was closed while the damage is assessed, but Pfizer “is committed to rapidly restoring full function to the site, which plays a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system,” working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper as well as other state, local and federal officials.
Most of the damage was caused to the warehouse facility, which stores raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished medicines awaiting release by quality assurance. Pfizer is working diligently to move product to other nearby sites for storage and to identify sources to replace damaged raw materials and supplies. Pfizer is also considering alternative manufacturing locations for production across our significant manufacturing presence in the U.S. and internationally and across the company’s partner network.
An initial assessment showed there was no major damage to medicine production areas.