Public Health Impact

Access to Medicines

Pfizer believes that all individuals deserve access to quality health care and the opportunity to lead healthy lives.

We combine creative commercial strategies with philanthropic approaches to create a sustainable and meaningful impact on global health.

Going Beyond Prescription Assistance

In the United States (U.S.), Pfizer RxPathways^® empowers patients in need by connecting them to assistance programs so they can get access to Pfizer medicines prescribed by their doctor.

This year, in response to the growing complexity of today's health care reimbursement environment in the U.S., Pfizer enhanced Pfizer RxPathways so patients can now consult with a Pfizer Medicine Access Counselor who will connect them to the full range of Pfizer assistance programs and resources.

Patients can visit www.PfizerRxPathways.com or dial the toll-free number 1-844-989-PATH (7284) to speak with one of Pfizer's Medicine Access Counselors. The counselors are specially trained to work with each patient to understand their unique situation and guide them to the Pfizer programs or resources that can best help them.

Our programs include:

• Pfizer Savings Program¹ – Pfizer medicines at a savings through pharmacies, regardless of income
• Pfizer Insurance Support – Clarification on insurance coverage and reimbursement options for certain medicines
• Pfizer Patient Assistance Program² –Free Pfizer medicines to eligible patients through their doctor's office, at home or via a co-pay card³
• Free Medicine through Health Centers and Hospitals – Free medicines for eligible, uninsured patients through select health centers and hospitals⁴
• Treatment-Specific Patient Medicine Support Hubs – Comprehensive support services for specific oncology and specialty medicines
• Brand Co-Pay Cards – Assistance for eligible patients with their co-pay costs⁵

Medicine Access Counselors will also connect patients to industry programs and resources, such as:

• Partnership for Prescription Assistance – Offers a gateway for patients to more than 475 private and public assistance programs
• Rx Outreach – A non-profit charitable organization that provides eligible patients with access to more than 500 medications at an affordable cost
• NeedyMeds – A non-profit information resource dedicated to helping people locate assistance programs to help them afford their medications and other health care costs

Working to Eliminate Trachoma in Developing Countries

Founded in 1998 with a grant from Pfizer and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) aims to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) call to eliminate trachoma, the world's leading infectious cause of blindness, by 2020.

Since the partnership was formed, this initiative has treated more than 100 million people in 36 countries. Pfizer, through ITI, has donated more than 600 million doses of the antibiotic Zithromax^® (azithromycin) for the treatment of trachoma. In 2016 alone, Pfizer donated and shipped more than 120 million doses.

On November 14, 2016, the WHO validated that the Moroccan government has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the second country in the world to achieve this designation after Oman in 2012.

Pfizer's donation of Zithromax, in partnership with ITI, as well as the implementation of the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy (Surgery to treat the blinding stage of the disease, known as trichiasis, Antibiotics to clear infection, Facial cleanliness, Environmental improvement including better access to water and sanitation to help reduce transmission), played pivotal roles in accelerating Morocco's ability to reach this milestone.

Learn more about how we are working to improve global health.

Responding to a Global Need through Humanitarian Assistance Program Expansion

Pfizer colleagues around the world work collaboratively with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil service organizations, health care providers, and payers to enable prevention and treatment of diseases by making medicines and vaccines available to as many people as possible. This includes tiered pricing strategies and humanitarian assistance in low- and middle-income countries who need it the most.

This year, Pfizer announced a major expansion of our humanitarian assistance program, enabling broader access to its vaccine, Prevenar 13^® (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]). In humanitarian emergency settings, Pfizer is offering the new multi-dose vial (MDV) of Prevenar 13 at what will be the lowest prevailing price (currently $3.05 per dose). Further, given the acute need for aid on the ground, Pfizer will donate all sales proceeds for the first year of this program to humanitarian groups undertaking the difficult work of reaching vulnerable populations in emergency settings.

Through our work with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, we have also pledged to supply 740 million doses of Prevenar 13 through to 2025 to infants at an affordable price in the world’s poorest countries with significant burden of disease.

Additionally, Pfizer donates a variety of products to assist with humanitarian emergencies, including essential health and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. For example, in response to Hurricane Matthew and a cholera outbreak in Haiti, Pfizer donated antibiotics and sterile injectable medicines to various NGOs providing health care to affected populations.

Addressing Public Health Emergencies

To address the growing Zika epidemic in 2016, Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation⁷ worked closely with global health organizations and local authorities to provide resources in support of prevention, monitoring and surveillance efforts surrounding Zika in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America. The Pfizer Foundation donated $4.1 million through grant funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, Population Services International and the Pan-American Health Organization, as well as to the Florida Department of Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services. Pfizer’s contribution included an in-kind donation of up to 170,000 doses of our long-acting contraceptive product to the CDC Foundation’s Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) initiative in Puerto Rico.

Expanding Access to Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Two years ago, Pfizer began a new collaboration with The Max Foundation, launching a pilot procedure to handle requests for Sutent^® (sunitinib malate)‎ for uninsured and underinsured cancer patients living in lower-income economies outside of the U.S. where significant access hurdles exist. Since the program’s initiation, 49 patients with renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumor – living in nine low-income or lower-middle-income countries – have been able to access ongoing treatment for free through the program. Pfizer is continuing to work with The Max Foundation to find ways to get our products to cancer patients who need them in lower-income economies.

Diflucan Partnership Program

Since 2000, the Diflucan^® (fluconazole) Partnership Program has helped to treat two fungal opportunistic infections, acute cryptococcal meningitis and esophageal candidiasis, in individuals living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries with a high prevalence of HIV.

Advancing the Health of Women and Children

The Pfizer Foundation supports innovative programs to improve access to immunization and family planning, including programs that integrate the delivery of immunizations and family planning services in an effort to address barriers and improve access to care for women and children in the developing world. Since 2014, the Pfizer Foundation has provided $12 million to advance this work with partners across Asia and Africa.

Beyond our Pfizer Foundation work, we’ve been making strides as a company in this area as well. Through a Pfizer Inc. collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, we are helping broaden access to Pfizer's long-acting injectable contraceptive, Sayana^® Press (medroxyprogesterone acetate), for women most in need of contraceptive options in some of the world’s poorest countries. Through this collaboration and the support of a public-private sector consortium, we were able to provide Sayana Press for one U.S. dollar per dose to qualified purchasers. Since the product’s launch in 2014, over six million doses of Sayana Press have been shipped to 20 developing countries.⁷

Examples of women’s and children’s health initiatives the Pfizer Foundation has supported include:

• An innovative project in Uganda and Ethiopia with the International Rescue Committee to improve last-mile access to, and utilization of, immunization and family planning. The project integrates these services at health facilities, equips health care workers with a simple mHealth data platform to identify children that miss immunizations, and includes individually tailored color-coded health calendar tools to track the five critical health service milestones during the pre- and post-natal periods.
• An initiative in Kenya with World Vision to help improve health outcomes for mothers and their children by training health care workers to address a comprehensive set of health interventions at immunization visits and engaging families and community leaders on the important role women's health plays in community and family health. A key element of this work is engagement with men in the community to increase their knowledge on the importance of healthy birth spacing and immunization.

Expanding Health Care Infrastructure in Underserved Communities

An individual’s ability to access quality health care is often limited where infrastructure is weak or non-existent. By supporting collaborative and entrepreneurial approaches that aim to build and improve health infrastructure, we are giving organizations and individuals the skills and resources they need to drive better global health outcomes.

In 2016, the Pfizer Foundation provided funding and technical assistance to 20 organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America through Global Health Innovation Grants (GHIG), a program that helps increase health access and foster local innovation.

Disclaimers

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