Medtech companies respond to impact of hurricane Maria

A number of medical manufactures based in Puerto Rico have responded to the impact and damage caused by hurricane Maria.

The island was hit by the category 4 hurricane last Wednesday, knocking out power to Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents and killing at least 13 people. The storm has caused severe damage to the infrastructure and engineers are saying it could take months to restore power.

Puerto Rico is home to over 70 medical manufacturing plants including Abbott, Medtronic, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and others.

NeliPak Healthcare has set up a relief fund to help those suffering from the recent hurricane disasters. Abbott has set up $2 million in additional grants to support relief efforts and families affected by Hurricane Maria and the earthquake in Central Mexico. Recently Abbott has raised $4.25 million in funding and healthcare products to help with the recent disasters.

Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott, said in a press release: " Our thoughts, and our actions, are focused right now on how we can help our colleagues and the many families across Mexico, the Caribbean and in the U.S. who are coping with the recent hurricanes and earthquakes. We hope our assistance will meet critically urgent needs as well as help support rebuilding these communities in the weeks and months ahead."

In an email to Plastics News, Medtronic spokesman Fernando Vivanco said: “The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority and we continue to closely monitor the situation in Puerto Rico. We continue to assess the impacts of Hurricane Maria on our employees, facilities, customers and the patients we serve, but it is too early to make any determinations right now."

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a statement in response to the damaging effects of Hurricane Maria. He wrote: “As the citizens of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands begin the long recovery effort from the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria, I know I’m joined by all of my colleagues at the Food and Drug Administration in keeping the residents of all these islands in our thoughts. I also want to extend my thanks to the FDA staff in our San Juan office who worked hard to prepare and secure our facilities ahead of the storm.

Over the past few weeks, hundreds of dedicated FDA experts have also been working closely with the agency’s leadership to ensure a timely and impactful response on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. We stand ready to provide that same assistance to communities impacted by Hurricane Maria. Initial assessments indicate that it may be months before all of Puerto Rico has power restored, compromising the critical infrastructure of the island. As the relief effort moves into recovery, we are committed to working closely with local and federal partners, as well as the food and medical product industries, to address the immediate and long-term consequences of the storm.”