Pfizer opens major UK vaccines store

Pfizer has opened a new £7m cold storage facility near Portsmouth that will be among Europe’s largest vaccine stores.

The new facility at the company’s Havant packaging and distribution site can store up to 38.4 million doses of vaccines and injectable medicines.

Its vaccines packaging line is believed to be the world’s fastest complex syringe packaging system.

As Pfizer goes ahead with the plan to close its R&D facility in Sandwich, Kent, the new storage facility reflects a positive shift in its UK strategy.

Science Minister David Willetts, who opened the new facility, commented: “This £7 million investment from Pfizer will deliver a cutting-edge cold storage facility and comes on top of £26.3 million already invested in a state-of-the-art biotechnology packaging facility.

“This reflects the enormous importance Pfizer attaches to its UK operations and its ability to serve the global pharmaceutical community.”

Jon Tucker, site leader for Pfizer at Havant, noted that the site was already recognised as a Centre of Excellence for cold chain packaging and distribution.

“We have a specialist team here that have developed technologies that are leading the way in this complex area of supply and logistics,” he said.

“It all goes together to make something very special, a £7 million building that has 3,500 pallet spaces to store life-changing and life-saving medicines. These get shipped to 122 destinations around the world.”