Pfizer: We Bring The Best Scientific Minds Together To Challenge The Most Feared Diseases Of Our Time

It’s often said that humanity will make more biomedical progress in the next 20 years than in the previous two thousand. Behind that statement is a complex question. With so much new science to pursue, how does a company like Pfizer prioritize targets, manage risk and deliver sufficient numbers of medicines to expand the business?

Pfizer took a large step toward answering that question in 2009 with the addition of Wyeth and the continued transformation of our approach to discovering and developing new medicines and vaccines. Biomedical research at Pfizer is now organized into two collaborative, highly focused units, PharmaTherapeutics R&D and BioTherapeutics R&D. Each of these units marshals the resources to pursue and prove theories about how either small molecule chemical compounds or large molecule protein-based biologics might prevent or change the course of a disease. At the point of “proof of concept”, the potential new medicine or vaccine is transferred to one of Pfizer’s customer-facing business groups for large-scale clinical trials, registration and commercialization.

In terms of accountability, this approach distinctly clarifies who is responsible for each sequence in the multiyear, billion-dollar-plus march from scientific theory to approved, prescribed medicine or vaccine.

Investing to Win for Patients and Pfizer

Blessed with depth and breadth of scientific talent and considerable resources, Pfizer is able to bring together the experts, the platforms, the technologies and the partnerships to make an impact across many therapeutic areas.

However, even Pfizer, strong as it is, must have focus. Our pipeline of about 500 projects is largely focused on six “Invest to Win” areas, where we believe that we have significant new opportunities for innovation and market leadership. These are:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Oncology
• Diabetes
• Inflammation
• Pain
• Psychoses

While our portfolio of research projects is centered on these areas, Pfizer can go where the science takes us. Our overall portfolio of investigational medicines covers many significant unmet medical needs, from neurological conditions such as autism to agents that fight increasingly treatment-resistant bacterial, fungal and viral infections.

We continue to challenge some of the most feared diseases of our time, including what have traditionally been termed “neglected diseases”—diseases like malaria that strike millions of people, largely in developing nations. We are also combating “orphan diseases”—often devastating conditions striking limited numbers of people.

Unraveling Cancer on Multiple Fronts

Pfizer’s oncology pipeline currently has both biologics and small molecules in development, including several first-in-class compounds. We now have hundreds of clinical trials under way in oncology, in some of the most prevalent and difficult-to-treat cancers, such as lung, prostate, colorectal, breast, liver, renal cell and various hematological cancers.

Pfizer scientists, along with their colleagues in many alliances and partnerships, are among the leaders in the global effort to develop innovative “personalized medicine” approaches for patients. One example can be seen in our proposed vaccine, now in Phase II trials, to treat the most common malignant brain tumor in adults.

Pfizer oncology research is also pushing the frontiers of bioinnovation. Our CovX research unit is currently in preclinical testing with a novel molecule, CVX-241, which aims to eliminate two factors that drive blood vessel growth in tumors. CovX’s “scaffold” technology combines short-lived therapeutic peptides with longer-lived antibodies, bringing both into a single agent. For cancer patients who must often use combination therapies—multiple infusions or injections—CVX-241 could become an important option in their treatment regimens and an addition to the overall anticancer arsenal.

Now—A Global Force in Vaccines

The combination of Wyeth and Pfizer has resulted in an organization with broad capabilities, in preventive and therapeutic vaccines research, development and technology. The foundation of our vaccine success is the Prevnar franchise, known as Prevenar in most markets outside the U.S. Prevnar, the world’s top-selling vaccine, is associated with significant public health benefits in regions where it is routinely used. Prevnar 13, approved in more than 40 countries for use by infants and young children, provides the broadest serotype coverage of any pneumococcal conjugate vaccine available and constitutes a new platform for growth.

Our pipeline is focused on the discovery and development of first-in-class and/or best-in-class novel vaccines. We are also exploring whether vaccines can do more than prevent diseases. We believe vaccines may be able to treat disease by stimulating specific immune responses.
With recent advances in science and technology, we are optimistic about making important progress with our vaccine pipeline. Our world-class research facilities and abundance of scientific expertise put us among the leaders in this exciting area of research.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Fighting a Looming Epidemic

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing global epidemic. The effects are devastating for patients, families and communities as loved ones drift away. The current annual worldwide cost of Alzheimer’s disease is estimated at $315 billion and, with aging populations, this social burden is only expected to increase.

In response, Pfizer has committed itself to a collaborative global effort, involving public and private interests, to manage the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to our own substantial research program, we aim both to raise awareness and provide a unified, global voice for all those with a stake in Alzheimer’s disease research, care and advocacy.

At Pfizer, we are urgently working on multiple approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease and are optimistic that new solutions may be within our reach.
One treatment in Phase III clinical trials is bapineuzumab, being developed by Pfizer and Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Bapineuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody to the beta-amyloid plaques that are theorized to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Pfizer’s pipeline includes other compounds designed to address Alzheimer’s disease, across a range of mechanisms.

In our clinical trials, safety and efficacy of new approaches are being assessed across all stages of Alzheimer’s disease, both as single therapies and in combination with currently available “standard of care” therapies. We are hoping that one or more of our advanced programs will bear fruit, offering new options for effective, safe Alzheimer’s disease treatments.