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FDA Goal to Bring Puerto Rican Device Manufacturing Back Online

September 29, 2017

Following the destruction by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said one of the agency’s main goals in the recovery effort is to bring the island’s medical product manufacturing plants back into operation.

The FDA has convened a special hurricane task force is also working to ensure the safety of the medical products, blood and food supply needed by residents.

“The island is home to a substantial base of manufacturing for critical medical products that supply the entire world,” Gottlieb said in a statement, describing the drug and medical device sectors as key to Puerto Rico’s long-term economic recovery.

The agency has been working with firms to determine which facilities have been damaged or could continue to function on generator power. — Conor Hale