A Pfizer factory in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, has been heavily damaged by a tornado, the drug maker said.
“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 said in a statement on Wednesday following the tornado.
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said the factory had sustained significant damage during the tornado.
“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility,” he said.
Local media reported that 13 people were injured in Nash County and 89 buildings were damaged by the tornado.
Pfizer said all those employed at the facility were safe and accounted for.
The company's plant in Rocky Mount is one of the largest production facilities for injectables in the world and produces 25 per cent of all sterile injectables used in the US.
The facility produces anaesthesia, analgesia, therapeutics and neuromuscular blockers, according to the company's website.
