More than three years after Pfizer (PFE) paid roughly $17 billion to acquire Hospira, the drug maker continues to encounter troubling manufacturing problems that are hobbling its ability to maximize the return on that investment.
The latest example occurred this month when Pfizer halted production at a plant in Sriperumbudur, India, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted an inspection last spring and subsequently issued a lengthy report that detailed a host of quality control issues.
The 32-page report cited the Hospira unit for inadequate production and laboratory control operations, unreliable microbiology laboratory data, manipulated test sample weights, and a lack of methods for gauging stability for finished pharmaceutical products.
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