Allergy & Respiratory

The prevalence of many diseases that Pfizer's Allergy & Respiratory (A&R) Therapeutic Area aims to treat is dramatically increasing. Pfizer is developing compounds that target two of these diseases that affect the lower airways - Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Millions of patients across the world suffer from COPD and with the industrialization of the developing world and the rise of smoking in the same regions, this disease is set to become the third leading cause of death in the world by 2020.

The A&R team developed Revatio^® (sildenafil) for the symptomatic treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. The team is now collaborating with academic institutions evaluating other Pfizer compounds, with different mechanism, to assess their likely effectiveness in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Both diseases have disabling symptoms and significantly increase mortality.

The upper airway diseases of Acute Rhinitis and Chronic Sinusitis also feature in A&R's research programs. These diseases may not be as life threatening as COPD, however they still adversely affect the quality of life for millions of patients who suffer from these symptoms.

The A&R team is about more than new medicines. Combined with its medical research efforts are many other projects to develop new technologies and devices to help deliver those medicines directly to the affected areas through inhalers.

Allergy & Respiratory Conditions

Indications for medicines currently in phases of development, from Phase 1 through recent approval:

• Asthma – A life threatening chronic disease of the lung characterized by variable obstruction of the airways, causing breathing difficulties such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath that affects patients of all ages. Asthma is often caused by allergic reactions, infections, exercise, temperature change and other airway irritants.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a progressive, irreversible disease that limits airflow resulting in breathlessness, wheezing and chronic coughing. It is also characterized by sudden intermittent periods where the symptoms can be very severe. These are known as exacerbations. It is most commonly caused by smoking.

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