Letter to Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. - Rep. Ted Budd Offers Assistance to Boost Production of Anti-Overdose Drug

Letter

Dear Dr. Bourla,

I write to you about a serious threat to the health and safety of thousands of my constituents in North Carolina's 13th District. As you know, 93,331 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2020, an all time high. The vast majority of those deaths were related to opioids. Sadly, after finally reducing the number of opioid deaths in 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic has eroded this progress and exacerbated the opioid epidemic.

A key resource to help individuals who overdose is the drug Naloxone (brand named Narcan). I have been monitoring the manufacturing issues that stopped production of this treatment earlier this year. The University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health has estimated that the shortage of Naloxone will result in about 1 million fewer doses, leading to potentially 18,000 more overdose deaths.

Given the serious nature of both the opioid crisis and the Naloxone shortage, I am reaching out to ask two questions: First, could you provide my office with an update on the reasons behind the production stoppage and a timeline of when your company can restart production? Second, are there actions that the federal government or Congress can take right now to help expedite a resolution to this shortage?

Pfizer has done an incredible job over the last 18 months bringing to market a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine during Operation Warp Speed that has saved the lives of millions. I also appreciate the fact that two of Pfizer's U.S. manufacturing sites are located in Sanford, NC and Rocky Mount, NC. It is my hope that we can work together to tackle another serious public health challenge and save thousands more American lives.

Source