- Pfizer will provide all its current and future
patent-protected medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or EU
on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries.
- Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda are the first five countries to commit
to join the Accord. Health officials in these countries will
help identify and resolve hurdles beyond supply to inform
the rollout in all 45 lower-income countries.
- Pfizer calls upon global health leaders and organizations
to join the Accord, bringing their expertise and resources to close
the health equity gap and help create a healthier world for 1.2
billion people.
DAVOS, Switzerland,
May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pfizer
Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today launched 'An Accord for a Healthier
World.' This groundbreaking initiative aims to provide all of
Pfizer's patented, high-quality medicines and vaccines available in
the U.S. or the European Union on a not-for-profit basis to 1.2
billion people in 45 lower-income countries. The Accord seeks to
greatly reduce the health inequities that exist between many
lower-income countries and the rest of the world.
"As we learned in the global COVID-19 vaccine rollout, supply is
only the first step to helping patients. We will work closely with
global health leaders to make improvements in diagnosis, education,
infrastructure, storage and more. Only when all the obstacles are
overcome can we end healthcare inequities and deliver for all
patients," said Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Albert Bourla.
The Accord countries include all 27 low-income countries as well
as 18 lower-middle-income countries that have transitioned from low
to lower-middle-income classification in the last ten years. Pfizer
will work with healthcare officials in Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda to identify early insights and
opportunities to ensure all medicines and vaccines can reach those
in need. This will include expertise to support diagnosis,
healthcare professional education and training along with supply
chain management and other infrastructure enhancements. Learnings
from these five countries will be applied to support the roll out
for the remaining forty countries.
Pfizer will also collaborate with Accord participants to
identify quick and efficient regulatory pathways and procurement
processes to reduce the longer amount of time it can take to make
new medicines and vaccines available in these countries.
Under the Accord, Pfizer has committed to provide 23 medicines
and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers, and
rare and inflammatory diseases. Making these medicines and vaccines
more readily available has the potential to treat non-communicable
and infectious diseases that claim the lives of nearly one million
people each year in these countries and chronic diseases that
significantly impact quality of life for at least half a million
more[1]. As Pfizer launches new medicines and
vaccines, those products will also be included in the Accord
portfolio on a not-for-profit basis.
The Accord also aims to establish faster access to Pfizer's
future pipeline medicines and vaccines on a not-for-profit-basis to
the 45 countries, particularly those that treat diseases that
disproportionately impact global health. To further this
commitment, Pfizer, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, is advancing work on the development of vaccine
candidates for the prevention of Group
B Streptococcus (GBS), which is a leading cause
of stillbirth and newborn mortality in low-income
countries. They are also discussing opportunities to support
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine development, another
maternal vaccine.
"Everyone, no matter where they live, should have the same
access to innovative, life-saving drugs and vaccines," said
Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation. "The Accord for a Healthier World
could help millions more people in low-income countries get the
tools they need to live a healthy life. Pfizer is setting an
example for other companies to follow."
"Rapid and affordable access to the most advanced medicines and
vaccines is the cornerstone of global health equity. Pfizer's
commitment under the Accord program sets a new standard in this
regard. Combined with additional investments in strengthening
Africa's public health systems and
pharmaceutical regulators, the Accord is an important step toward
sustainable health security for countries at every income level,"
said His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.
"We must continue to strive for quality healthcare for all
people to live longer, stronger and healthier lives," said His
Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. "It will require strong cooperation
between the public and private sectors. We are proud to join this
Accord to work together on this important goal."
"Senegal proudly supports the
launch of An Accord for a Healthier World to improve health equity
and outcomes for the people of our country and across the world,"
said His Excellency Macky Sall, President of Senegal. "Together, we will work for a better
world."
"The great thing about this Accord is that it helps low-income
countries without violating their dignity and agency as people, for
it is a true partnership that involves both Pfizer and countries
like Malawi sharing the burden of
costs and tasks in the production and delivery of supplies that
will save millions of lives. This is how all global problems should
be tackled," said His Excellency Lazarus Chakwera, President of
Malawi.
"It is the time to close the health equity gap," said His
Excellency Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda. "Uganda is proud to join the Accord, and we are
committed to working with Pfizer and all Accord partners to find
new ways to address access challenges."
Further details about An Accord for a Healthier World are
available at Pfizer.com/Accord.
About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients'
Lives
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, including innovative medicines and vaccines. 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 innovative
biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care
providers, governments and local communities to support and expand
access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For
more than 170 years, we have worked to make a difference for all
who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important
to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com. In addition, to
learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.com and follow
us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer
News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook
at Facebook.com/Pfizer.
Disclosure Notice
The information contained in this
release is as of May 25, 2022. The
Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements
contained in this release as the result of new information or
future events or developments.
This release contains forward-looking statements about the
Company's launch of "An Accord for A Healthier World", its efforts
to provide all of its current and future patent-protected medicines
and vaccines available in the U.S or the EU on a not-for-profit
basis to 45 lower-income countries and its collaborations with
global health leaders, that involves substantial risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and
uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties
inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet
anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion
dates for our clinical trials, regulatory submission dates,
regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as the
possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses
of existing clinical data;; decisions by regulatory authorities
impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other
matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential
of Pfizer's product candidates, including development of products
or therapies by other companies; manufacturing capabilities or
capacity; uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain
recommendations from vaccine technical committees and other public
health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial
impact of any such recommendations; the uncertainties inherent in
business and financial planning, including, without limitation,
risks related to Pfizer's business and prospects, adverse
developments in Pfizer's markets, or adverse developments in the
U.S. or global capital markets, credit markets, regulatory
environment or economies generally; the impact of COVID-19 on our
business, operations and financial results; and competitive
developments.
A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found
in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2021 and in its
subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof
captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and
Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its
subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available
at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.
Pfizer Contacts:
Media Relations
+1 (212) 733-1226
PfizerMediaRelations@pfizer.com
Investor Relations
+1 (212) 733-4848
IR@pfizer.com
[1] Internal calculations based on data collected via
https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
[2] Eligibility (gavi.org)