Pfizer, NNPA, and Howard University Collaborate
to Improve Public Education and Awareness
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), the National Newspaper Publishers
Association (NNPA), and scholars from Howard University today
announced results from a new national poll designed to deepen
understanding and gauge perceptions around sickle cell disease
(SCD) among African Americans. The poll, which included responses
from adults in the US who self-identified as African American,
revealed that while the majority of respondents were familiar with
SCD and understood the disease in general, only one-third
(36%) were aware that it disproportionately affects people
of African descent,1 demonstrating a critical need for education
and awareness.
Sickle cell disease is a lifelong and debilitating disorder that
affects red blood cells.2 It is the most common inherited blood
disorder in the US, and most people living with sickle cell disease
are of African descent.3 In fact, SCD occurs in one out of every
365 African American births.4
“These poll findings will give our readers an in-depth
understanding of how sickle cell disease is perceived by African
Americans,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President of NNPA, a
trade association of 211 African American-owned community
newspapers from around the US. “With this knowledge from the
dedicated research team at Howard University, and through our
collaboration with Pfizer, we can spur meaningful conversation and
assess the best ways to improve disease education for those
impacted in our communities.”
The poll also revealed:
- Despite long-standing historical
perceptions of mistrust in medical professionals by the African
American community, in this poll 91% of respondents
indicated that they believed health care professionals to be
trustworthy.1
- Over three quarters (79%)
of respondents described SCD as “more important” or “just as
important” as other health conditions.1
- Most respondents (76%)
had positive or neutral attitudes toward SCD clinical
trials and a majority indicated a willingness to participate in
future clinical trials for SCD, given appropriate knowledge and
recommendations from health care professionals.1
- Historically, clinical trial
recruitment obstacles have been a barrier in SCD research. In a
review of 174 SCD trials, difficulty enrolling patients was the
stated cause in nearly half of the trials that terminated
early.5
- The majority (79%) of
respondents understood the importance of disease
education and expressed the need for additional current
information, specifically regarding pain relief, clinical trials,
and progress toward better treatment or a cure.1
“We are encouraged by the poll results as they have allowed us
to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of SCD among
African Americans. These insights will not only help us determine
how to further enhance disease education and awareness, but will
also help us educate SCD patients and their families about the
importance of clinical trials in bringing novel treatment options
to market for those in need,” said Dr. Kevin W. Williams, Chief
Medical Officer, Pfizer Rare Disease. “Through our work with
patients and the community, as well as through research and
development and clinical trials, Pfizer remains committed to
addressing the unmet needs of people affected by sickle cell
disease.”
The poll is a key initiative under the Pfizer-NNPA
collaboration. Throughout the rest of 2017, a series of articles
with more information regarding SCD, its impact, as well as the
common myths, is also being published in NNPA-affiliated
newspapers. The poll results and information about SCD will be
shared with the NNPA network and incorporated into future
educational programs. More information about SCD can be found at
www.Pfizer.com/RareDisease. For more information about the NNPA,
please visit www.nnpa.org.
About the Poll
The National Poll of African Americans on Sickle Cell
Disease Awareness questionnaire was conducted via a telephone
interviewing system by the Howard University Interdisciplinary
Research Team on behalf of Pfizer Inc. and the National Newspaper
Publishers Association (NNPA) between June 15, 2017 and July 15,
2017. A total of 741 surveys were completed, drawing from 31,934
telephone calls made that resulted in polling answers from 741
individuals aged 20–70 living across the US, who identified as
being of African American ethnicity. Poll respondents were selected
from individuals who had agreed to participate in the survey
through the Howard University Interdisciplinary Research Team.
Results are weighted to the African American population projected
by the Census in the American Community Survey. The poll was
conducted using a nationally representative survey of the African
American population to accurately measure the knowledge,
perceptions, and behavior of the community with regard to sickle
cell disease.
Pfizer Rare Disease
Rare disease includes some of the most serious of all illnesses
and impacts millions of patients worldwide,6 representing an
opportunity to apply our knowledge and expertise to help make a
significant impact on addressing unmet medical needs. The Pfizer
focus on rare disease builds on more than two decades of
experience, a dedicated research unit focusing on rare disease, and
a global portfolio of multiple medicines within a number of disease
areas of focus, including hematology, neuroscience, and inherited
metabolic disorders.
Pfizer Rare Disease combines pioneering science and deep
understanding of how diseases work with insights from innovative
strategic collaborations with academic researchers, patients, and
other companies to deliver transformative treatments and solutions.
We innovate every day leveraging our global footprint to accelerate
the development and delivery of groundbreaking medicines and the
hope of cures.
Click here to learn more about our Rare Disease portfolio and
how we empower patients, engage communities in our clinical
development programs, and support programs that heighten
disease.
Working together for a healthier world®
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring
therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their
lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value
in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care
products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as
well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care
products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and
emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and
cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time.
Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier
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care providers, governments and local communities to support and
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For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for
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addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.pfizer.com and
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Facebook.com/Pfizer.
About the National Newspaper Publishers Association
(NNPA)
The NNPA is a national trade association of 211 Black and
women-owned U.S. media companies with a weekly print and digital
readership of over 20.1 million Black Americans. The Black Press of
America is 190 years old. The NNPA is known as the Black Press of
America and the Voice of Black America, because its member
publishers are trusted, respected and embedded in their local
communities where they provide significant influence and impact.
Learn more about the NNPA.org.
__________________________
1 Data on file. Pfizer Inc, New York, NY. 2
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
What is sickle cell disease?
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca. 2016.
Accessed August 25, 2017.
3
National Human Genome Research Institute
(NHGRI). Learning about sickle cell disease.
https://www.genome.gov/10001219/learning-about-sickle-cell-disease/.
2016. Accessed July 31, 2017.
4
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Data and statistics.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/data.html. 2016. Accessed
August 25, 2017.
5
Lebensburger JD, Hilliard LM, Pair LE, et
al. Systematic review of interventional sickle cell trials
registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Clinical Trials.
2015:12(6):575-583. doi:10.1177/1740774515590811.
6
Pfizer Inc. Rare Disease. Areas of focus.
http://www.pfizer.com/health-wellness/disease-conditions/rare-diseases/areas-of-focus.
Accessed August 25, 2017. PP-RDP-USA-0236-01
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170921005709/en/
Pfizer Inc.Steven Danehy,
212-733-1538Steven.Danehy@pfizer.comorClaudette Perry, 212-588-8764
Ext. 2CPerry@nnpa.org
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