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Living & Wellbeing

6 Mosquito Diseases That Can Be Deadly

Mosquitoes won’t just ruin a cookout or leave angry red welts on your skin after a blood meal; the little buzzers might  also transmit serious diseases. Mosquitoes are "silent" feeders; their siphon-like mouthparts can quickly pierce human skin and feed on blood without causing any notice, says Patrick Kelly PhD, director of Global Epidemiology for Tick Borne Diseases for Pfizer. He calls it “highly efficient feeding that has been fine-tuned over millions of years.” Mosquitos have taken...

Purpose & Ideals

Why Medicine Flavor Matters in Drug Design, Especially for Kids

Medicines don’t work unless people take them. It sounds like an obvious statement. And yet, a large percentage of people—up to 50%1 even—struggle when it comes to swallowing medications. Medicine flavoring has been a big part of the problem. For more than a decade, Jeremy Bartlett, Ph.D., a Research Fellow with Pfizer Drug Product Design in Groton, Connecticut, has been working to solve that problem. “We work in pharmaceutical sciences, and if we develop a medicine you’re supposed to take and...

Living & Wellbeing

5 Things Worth Knowing About Biosimilars and Interchangeability

Biologic drugs have revolutionized disease management for many serious and chronic conditions including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis.1  Versions of biologic drugs, known as biosimilars, have helped improve access to these critical medicines for a wider patient population and lowered healthcare costs.2As biosimilars continue to hit the market in greater numbers, you’ll be hearing more about this class of drugs, as well as the “interchangeability” designation that...

Real People

Bill Sessa is Ready to Deliver Breakthroughs for Common Diseases

“Despite advances in treatment, cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer worldwide,” says Bill Sessa, who joined Pfizer as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for the Internal Medicine Research Unit (IMRU) in February 2022. “For decades, Pfizer has been at the forefront of advancing novel treatments for people living with cardiovascular and other conditions that affect a significant portion of the world’s population," Sessa says. "I’m thrilled to have the chance to...

Purpose & Ideals

Pfizer’s Institute of Translational Equitable Medicine Addresses Equity in Health Research

When it comes to healthcare, the terms “equitable” and "access" often go hand-in-hand. In order to prevent, treat, and identify diseases that disproportionately impact underserved and minority populations, Pfizer believes that research must be directed to the root causes of healthcare disparities. The recently-launched Institute of Translational Equitable Medicine (ITEM) is intended to do just that: work toward a more equitable future of health care. For Aida Habtezion, M.D., who is Pfizer’s...

Living & Wellbeing

How Wearable Technology is Helping Scientists Better Understand Patients and Diseases

Like many people, Tim McCarthy, PhD, wears a watch that tracks his steps and monitors his activity levels. That watch also represents something else for McCarthy, who is Pfizer’s Head of Digital Medicine & Translational Imaging, which is part of Early Clinical Development in the company’s Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical Organization. For him, wearable technology could hold the power to better understand patients and diseases to improve healthcare. McCarthy acknowledges it’s still...

Trusted Voices

Thanking Rod MacKenzie for his countless contributions to Pfizer

Thanking Rod MacKenzie for his countless contributions to Pfizer, the industry and patients around the globe. After 35 years of outstanding service to Pfizer, Rod MacKenzie, PhD, Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President, has informed me of his intent to retire early next year. This is a bittersweet time for me and for all those colleagues who have worked with Rod over the course of his career. I will miss working with my friend, but I am excited to see the wonderful things he...

Real People

On the Record: Pfizer Leaders Share Career Advice for Young Professionals

Payal Sahni did not expect – or plan -- to work for a multi-national corporation. In fact, when a college professor asked her if she’d ever considered a corporate career, she replied, “absolutely not.” At the time, Sahni was pursuing a graduate degree in psychology. She believed corporate America was “stuffy” and “political,” and “wanted nothing to do with it,” she says. But she told her professor she was open to exploring and applied for a summer internship at Pfizer, a pharmaceutical and...

Living & Wellbeing

For Education, Support, and Assistance, Patient Advocacy Groups Can Help

A medical diagnosis can raise countless questions and concerns. One way that patients can empower themselves with knowledge and surround themselves with support is by finding an advocacy group that focuses on that particular condition or disease and the challenges that may surround it. “The work of patient advocacy groups is very important to provide education and support; sometimes these groups have social workers on staff that can provide that psychosocial support to people, and and advocate...

Living & Wellbeing

Empowerment Through Patient Education: How to Play an Active Role in Your Healthcare

The phrase “knowledge is power” rings true in healthcare encounters as much as it does in day-to-day life. “Patient education is important so that patients can make informed decisions in their care and treatment plans,” says Mike Zincone, Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at Pfizer. Research has shown that patient education significantly improves adherence with taking prescribed medications.1 One of the big challenges when it comes to patient education, says Zincone, is determining where to...

The Antigen Podcast

The Antigen is an eight-part audio-documentary style podcast about the scientific, cultural, and political elements of vaccination. We start with the basic science, review vaccine history, explore the many facets of their global impact, and the public sentiment about vaccines around the world. Hear from leading experts about the past, present, and future of this important innovation, as well as people whose families have been impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases.  Host: Jasmeen Agosti M.D...

Purpose & Ideals

Pfizer's Commitment to Supplier Diversity

While it’s easy to recognize the economic and social benefits that suppliers and their communities receive by doing business with a global biopharmaceutical company such as Pfizer, the benefits are far more mutual than they may seem. Applying innovative perspectives gained from working with suppliers that bring diversity, Pfizer is better able to improve patient care through these connections to a more inclusive group of communities, thus improving health for all. One way Pfizer has worked to...