Our Business

Pfizer Essential Health

Pfizer Essential Health (PEH) – formerly known as the Global Established Pharma business – is a leader in non-viral anti-infectives, biosimilars and sterile injectable medicines.

In emerging markets, the PEH portfolio of affordable, well-known branded medicines makes it a critical partner in the global public health community.

PEH is focused on four core categories with different market dynamics:

• Biosimilars – includes recombinant and monoclonal antibodies primarily in inflammation, oncology and supportive care, with three products commercialized and marketed in multiple countries. The biosimilars pipeline is progressing and consists of 14 distinct Pfizer and legacy Hospira, Inc. biosimilar molecules in various stages of development.
• Global Brands in developed countries – includes legacy Pfizer brands, partnerships in developed markets, branded generics and products that have recently lost or are approaching loss of marketing exclusivity.
• Sterile Injectables – consists of an industry leading portfolio of more than 220 injectable medicines and surgiceutical products to support all areas of hospital care.
• Emerging Markets – consists of portfolios and partnerships where the quality of our brands provides significant value to patients and health care professionals.

PEH has strategies to capture growth over the next few years through innovation in our core product categories and commercial model. Our dedicated R&D organization, combined with our focus on “open science” to acquire new molecules developed outside of Pfizer, will enable us to further accelerate our ability to address the health care needs of patients and physicians. Over the last two years, we significantly enhanced the PEH portfolio through a variety of business development transactions including with the acquisition of Hospira, Inc., InnoPharma Inc., and AstraZeneca PLC’s small molecule anti-infectives portfolio.

Driving Progress in the Biosimilars Market

Biosimilars have the potential to improve patient care by expanding access to high-quality, effective, targeted treatment across multiple serious and chronic diseases. Pfizer is committed to advancing biosimilars in markets around the world, helping to create a sustainable, competitive marketplace and generate cost savings and efficiencies for health care systems. By investing in the development and commercialization of biosimilars, we are able to help expand and accelerate access of these critical treatments to patients and physicians.

As the leading global biosimilars company, we currently have three marketed biosimilars as part of our acquisition of Hospira, Inc. in September 2015 – Inflectra^® (infliximab-dyyb), Retacrit^® (epoetin zeta) and Nivestim^® (filgrastim) – available to patients in several markets. Inflectra, which is marketed under other brand names in some countries, has over 111,000 patient years of experience and is approved in more than 70 countries.

Our robust biosimilars pipeline consists of eight distinct molecules in mid-to-late stage development, and six in early-stage development. Three of our late-stage pipeline products have reported positive top-line data from pivotal Phase 3 studies, and full data readouts are anticipated in 2017-2018.

Over the past year, we have also worked to advance the United States (U.S.) biosimilars marketplace. Following U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval earlier in the year, Pfizer initiated wholesaler shipment of Inflectra, the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) biosimilar to be both approved and launched in the U.S. Inflectra was approved by the FDA in November 2016. To offer support to patients and providers in the U.S., Pfizer launched the Pfizer enCompass Program^™, a comprehensive reimbursement and patient support program for biosimilars.

Expanding our Legacy and Leadership in Anti‑Infectives

Since the discovery of penicillin in the 1940s, Pfizer has been actively engaged in the research and development of innovative medicines, policies and educational programs designed to address the evolving needs of patients and physicians in the area of infectious disease.

• Today, Pfizer provides health care providers and patients access to the most comprehensive portfolio of anti-infective medicines in the industry. We currently commercialize more than 120 antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections. This includes more than 75 anti-bacterial agents offering physicians a broad array of options for the treatment of infections including those caused by potentially life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria, commonly associated with serious hospital infections.
• Pfizer sponsors the largest global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance program in the world providing critical data regarding antibiotic resistance patterns that enable physicians and health care providers to make the most appropriate treatment choices for their patients. Pfizer surveillance programs have provided valuable data in over 69 countries and, since 2004, have served as the primary sources for 128 scientific publications.
• In early 2016, Pfizer was a primary negotiator and signatory of the Declaration on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, a global call to action drafted and signed by more than 100 companies and 13 trade associations encouraging greater industry and government collaboration to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance. As a follow up to the AMR Declaration, Pfizer and 13 industry partners unveiled the “Industry Roadmap to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance,” a comprehensive plan of action that lays out four key commitments we pledge to deliver by 2020. The Industry Roadmap was announced during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September 2016.

Acquisition of AstraZeneca PLC small molecule anti-infective business

In December 2016, Pfizer completed the acquisition of AstraZeneca PLC’s small molecule anti-infective business, primarily outside the U.S., including the commercialization rights and development rights in certain markets to the newly approved EU drug Zavicefta^™ (ceftazidime-avibactam), the marketed agents Merrem^™/Meronem^™ (meropenem) and Zinforo^™ (ceftaroline fosamil), and the clinical development assets aztreonam-avibactam (ATM-AVI) and ceftaroline-avibactam (CXL). Zavicefta specifically addresses certain multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections, including those resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, one of the largest threats to global health in the field of infectious disease.

We believe our industry leading portfolio, global footprint and extensive medical and commercial expertise in this therapeutic area will enable us to meaningfully improve health outcomes by accelerating patient access to important medicines, and thereby help drive further growth across the PEH business.

Providing Innovative and High-Quality Sterile Injectables to Patients

In September 2015, Pfizer acquired Hospira, Inc. to create a leading provider of global sterile injectables that now encompasses one of the broadest and most diverse portfolios of important, difficult-to-manufacture and life-saving sterile injectable medicines in the industry.

Pfizer’s extensive product portfolio, expertise and resources combined with Hospira, Inc.’s robust portfolio of off-patent sterile injectable drugs and various drug delivery systems uniquely position us to make a deep and meaningful impact on patients.

Pfizer Injectables is a leading supplier of high-quality, difficult-to-manufacture injectable pharmaceutical and surgical products.

Advancing Global Public Health

Many PEH medicines can be found on the World Health Organization's essential medicines list and are widely used in global public health programs that help patients in need across the developing world. Thanks to a collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, in 2016 we were able to help broaden access to Pfizer's long-acting injectable contraceptive, Sayana^® Press (medroxyprogesterone acetate), for women most in need living in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Further resources

How our work in this area is supporting the Sustainable Development Goals