Medicines Articles

Purpose & Ideals

The Mindfulness of Medicine Development: How Scientists Are Driving the Next Wave of Medical Innovations

For millions of patients around the world, the development of a new treatment or vaccine can be life-changing. But the journey from promising drug candidate to approved product isn’t easy. It's a long and arduous process, with an average timeline lasting more than 10 years.Behind the scenes of these life-changing medical breakthroughs are the scientists whose dedication, expertise, and remarkable problem-solving skills are driving progress forward. Though their training could have prepared them...

Science & Innovation

In Search of a New Hemophilia Treatment

Despite significant advancements in hemophilia treatments over the past several decades, a fundamental challenge remains for many patients: balancing management of the disorder while maintaining regular day-to-day activities.Historically, treatments could be cumbersome and time-consuming to administer. They typically required intravenous administration up to several times a week to prevent bleeding episodes.1 Even treatments that could be administered at home required infusions multiple times a...

Purpose & Ideals

An Accord for a Healthier World: Working Together to Help Address Unmet Healthcare Needs in Lower-Income Countries

Currently, regulatory agencies may take up to seven years to approve essential medicines and vaccines in low- and middle-income counties (LMICs) from the time those same treatments were first approved in high-income countries, if they are approved at all.1 The burden remains disproportionately higher in low-income countries.2 Lack of access to quality healthcare is related to healthcare inequities in LMICs and hinders equitable access to safe and effective treatments.2Those living in LMICs...

Science & Innovation

Mathematical Sandbox: How Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Steers Safer, Faster Drug Development

Fear and anxiety swirled when Dr. Cynthia J. Musante’s husband contracted COVID-19. He faced agreater risk of coming down with a severe case since he was already unwell.But all their worries vanished in just 24 hours.Dr. Musante recalls that her husband soon started to feel better after being prescribed an investigational oral treatment for those with COVID-19. “It felt like a miracle,” he said. “I had felt so horrible.”As relief settled in, Dr. Musante felt something else: pride.After all, from...

Living & Wellbeing

How to Dispose of Unused Medicine Responsibly to Protect the Environment

Would it surprise you to learn that taking prescription medication is part of the daily routine for an estimated 60% of adults in the United States?1 Each prescription comes with extensive instructions about how to take the medication but offers little guidance on how to dispose of unused medicine. Responsible medication disposal is important. Improper disposal of unused or expired medications has the potential to result in pharmaceuticals getting into the environment.2 In fact, pharmaceuticals...

Counterfeit Medicines Q&A

Counterfeit medicine, or fake medicine, is on the rise. Although the issue is more common in developing countries, people in the U.S. are not immune to this global threat. Below are some answers to common questions about keeping counterfeit medicine out of your cabinet.Q: What exactly are counterfeit medicines?A: Counterfeit medicines are medicines that are fake. They are also illegal and possibly dangerous to your health. Counterfeits are usually manufactured in substandard environments. And...

Purpose & Ideals

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs: How Organizations Are Combating the Sale of Fake Meds

In an expensive healthcare system, everybody wants more affordable medicine, but at what physical or emotional cost? If you get caught in a medical fraudster's trap, that cost may be steep. By taking counterfeit prescription drugs (which look real but aren't), you not only run the risk of not receiving the benefits of the intended medication, but fakes can also harm you. Unsuspecting buyers may experience allergic reactions, overdose, or other adverse effects caused by unapproved ingredients.1...

Purpose & Ideals

How To Identify Fake Medicines

Every morning, as you greet the day and shake your prescribed medicine into your hand, you're trusting that they’re authentic. Worldwide, though, counterfeit medications are more common than some might think.Studies show approximately 10-40% of medicines sold in low- and middle-income countries are counterfeit. In the United States, less than 1% of medicines sold in retail pharmacies are counterfeit.1By that comparison, the chances of your medication being fake are small, but there's still a...

Purpose & Ideals

Insights into Illegal and Counterfeit Drugs

People all over the world rely on medication for things like managing chronic illness, preventing pregnancy, and treating life-threatening diseases. Yet people unknowingly consume counterfeit drugs every day, even in developed countries with well-regulated healthcare systems. They put their lives at risk for something they should be able to trust. The pharmaceutical industry and global drug regulators are constantly working to keep any below-standard and fraudulent drugs out of circulation. But...

Science & Innovation

Biologics vs. Biosimilars: Understanding the Difference

Maybe you’ve heard of biologics and biosimilars. You might even be taking biological or biosimilar medicines to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, or other health conditions. Still, maybe you have questions about what the differences and similarities are or how these drugs are developed.Biologics revolutionized the prevention, treatment, and outlook of many serious diseases. Now, biosimilar advancements in these drugs are helping to provide expanded access to...

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...