Pfizer announced that it has posted a list of U.S. medical, scientific and patient organization grants and charitable contributions made in the first quarter of this year, part of an ongoing drive throughout the company to increase transparency. Pfizer partners with the world's leading experts and medical, scientific and patient organizations to support their programs and activities aimed at improving public health. This support includes grants and charitable contributions for efforts that strengthen communities where Pfizer colleagues live and work.
The support highlighted today includes medical education grants, fellowship and scholarship support for institutions, grants to patient organizations, medical and scientific associations and academic or other medical centers, and charitable contributions.
Of a total $9.97 million in grants and charitable contributions reported for the first quarter of 2008, the largest grant - $3,420,318 - was made to the California Academy of Family Physicians in March for a three-year national health care professional education campaign to reduce the number of U.S. smokers. This grant was distributed among nine partner organizations across the country. Other grants include $500,000 to Family Health International for malaria patient education and treatment, and $237,500 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its clinical investigator training program with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Information will be updated each quarter.
Pfizer is committed to increasing transparency and disclosure of activities that relate to the public interest.
- In 2002, Pfizer began to register its clinical trials on the public database www.clinicaltrials.gov. The company now registers all trials in patients and has more than 800 trials registered.
- Also in 2002, Pfizer began publicly reporting U.S. political contributions.
- In 2004, Pfizer began publicly posting the results of its clinical trials at www.clinicalstudyresults.org.
- Starting in December 2006, the company launched a regularly updated public website, describing all compounds in its drug development pipeline and detailing their progress.
- And in April 2007, Pfizer began reporting its FDA post-marketing commitments relating to safety, efficacy or the use of Pfizer medicines.
- This latest transparency initiative follows a commitment Pfizer made in June 2007 to provide more information about the support it provides for groups that work to promote public health.
"We want to bring greater transparency to the way we partner with leading medical, scientific and patient organizations," said Jeffrey B. Kindler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer. "Detailing these grants and charitable contributions is an important part of our ongoing transparency drive."
"Easter Seals appreciates the support that Pfizer provides as it directly enhances our capacity to serve and advocate for people with disabilities and their families," said James E. Williams, Jr., President and CEO, Easter Seals, Inc, which received a grant from Pfizer in 2007. "Our collaborations relate directly to the mission-driven priorities of our organization. These activities are grounded in a shared commitment to address unmet needs, eliminate barriers, and otherwise foster improvements in health and quality of life for persons with disabilities, their families and communities."
"IAVI is proud to receive the support of Pfizer," said John McGoldrick, Senior Vice President for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. "Because of Pfizer's grant from its Global Health Fellows Program, we have deployed 9 Fellows since 2005 to work directly with IAVI teams at AIDS vaccine clinical trial sites across East and Southern Africa. IAVI has benefited tremendously through this strategic partnership, and we look forward to continuing our work with Pfizer."
Pfizer plans to report grants and charitable contributions to medical, scientific and patient organizations quarterly. More detailed descriptions of the type of support provided are available at www.pfizer.com/transparencyingrants.
Pfizer: Working Together for a Healthier World
Founded in 1849, Pfizer is the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to treat and help prevent disease for both people and animals. We also partner with healthcare providers, governments and local communities around the world to expand access to our medicines and to provide better quality health care and health system support. At Pfizer, 85,000 colleagues in more than 150 countries work every day to help people stay happier and healthier longer and to reduce the human and economic burden of disease worldwide.