As if Pfizer isn't feeling the heat enough this week thanks to its disappointing financial results and its decision to drop Exubera (inhalable insulin), the world's biggest pharma company has today closed its La Jolla research and development (R&D) site in San Diego. The decision will be re-evaluated daily but the head of the La Jolla campus, Kitty Mackey, said that it was important the 1,000 employees there "take the time to care for their families and loved ones," as many of them live in areas impacted by the fire emergency. Pfizer is hardly alone in their problems though - within a 10-mile radius of the La Jolla campus are many major educational and research facilities such as the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), The Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and some 200 biotech firms. Acros the whole of San Diego County, there are more than 500 life science companies employing more than 36,000 people, according to industry association Biocom. The companies range from small biotechs to some of the 'biggest names' in drug development, such as Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), Amgen, Biogen Idec, Genentech and, of course, Pfizer. Between them, they generate over $23m (€16.2m) for the economy every day and so the financial impact of closures should not be underestimated. As well as closing facilities so employees can look after their personal lives, many companies are more directly impacted by the wildfires. For example, the vast swathe of black smoke wafting across the area is extremely hazardous to health. UCSD is currently on red alert and has advised all "non-essential employees" to stay at home - citing the "extremely poor air quality" as the reason although it also says the site is not currently in danger from the fires themselves. However, some pharma and biotech firms in California are at risk of losing buildings to the fires. This poses several problems, not least of which is how to care for any animals kept at the facility and where to take them should they need to be evacuated. A further problem is what to with the, often very expensive, compounds used at each facility, many of which require special storage conditions, or are still being used in active experiments or haven't yet been fully analysed. Notwithstanding the fact that much of these materials may intrinsically be commercially sensitive, this is where nearby but not at risk life sciences companies come into the equation, which obviously have the facilities to look after both research animals and chemicals. Of course, this is ignoring the more simple fact that a fire at a facility that contains vast amounts of chemicals could be an environmental disaster. However, the companies in the area will, of course, have made contingency plans for emergencies such as this - especially since this is not the first time California has been devastated by wildfires: four years ago, wildfires swept through Southern California, killing over 20 people. In Pfizer's case, the campus is not at risk from burning down - just as well for the pharma giant since La Jolla is a 33.5 acre campus including eight buildings with more than one million square feet. Pfizer Vaccines Research is housed there, as is The Pfizer Incubator, a new facility where Pfizer is financing life science start-ups. One of the products produced at the site is Pfizer's HIV drug Viracept (nelfinavir) but today the scientists and staff focus on discovering and developing new medicines to treat different forms of cancer and diseases of the eye. Until the fires burn themselves out, or can be brought under control, the life sciences industry is in danger of losing years of valuable research at an unimaginable cost to health care. Billy Tauzin, the CEO Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which is itself based in the area, said: "Californians who have been affected by the recent wildfires - and who are uninsured or underinsured - should know that help getting the medicines they need may be available through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance." "Struggling Californians who are having trouble getting the medicines they need may find expedited help through PPA's disaster relief program." More information can be found at http://www.pparx.org.
