Pfizer brought home four awards from this year's Global Pharmaceutical Awards — more than any other company — recognizing both our philanthropic and business successes.
London, England — Pfizer won four awards at the Global Pharmaceutical Awards ceremony held earlier this month at The Banqueting House at London's Whitehall Palace. The gala event was sponsored by Informa Pharmaceuticals, a London-based healthcare company.
Two of Pfizer's awards acknowledged innovative philanthropic programs. The first, for Advancement in the Cause of World Health, was granted for the company's work with the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI). The ITI. a joint venture between Pfizer and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. is a comprehensive treatment and prevention program aimed at eliminating trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. Since the program's creation in 1998, Pfizer has contributed more than US$66 million worth of Zithromax. the oral antibiotic that successfully treats trachoma. and has pledged to donate an additional US$150 million in medical and financial support over the next three years. Initial results from the program have been outstanding, with the prevalence of the disease cut in half in some communities. "This award is a great accolade to our commitment and excellence in bringing new medicines to the market," said Pat Kelly, senior vice-president, Worldwide Marketing, PPG. "This shows Pfizer's response to the charge 'the patients are waiting.'"
The second program, recognized with the award for "Community Involvement and Corporate Responsibility," was Pfizer's Brooklyn Redevelopment Initiative (BRI). This ongoing effort to revitalize the neighborhood around the company's manufacturing plant in Brooklyn, New York, has resulted in new housing, a new school, lower crime rates, and increased employment. For the past 150 years a Pfizer facility has been part of the neighborhood landscape. Under the BRI, the company has become an even more active member of the neighborhood, working with public, private, nonprofit and community partners.
The Pfizer for Living program (PfL) received an award for the "Most Effective Customer Relationship Management Strategy." PfL is a free direct mail and Internet program that has broken new ground in relationship marketing. This program helps cardiovascular patients age 50 and over live healthier lives by using personalized, customized and gender-specific information to educate them about various healthcare and lifestyle issues. "We are gratified and honored to see that Pfizer for Living has continued to win awards three years after it's initial launch," said Gerry Valentine, director, Direct Marketing, Consumer Marketing Group. "We know that bringing consumers the information and support they need to effectively manage their health is 'good business' for Pfizer, and this award is further evidence that our efforts are paying off."
Celebrex, the popular arthritis medicine that Pfizer co-markets with Pharmacia, earned the company a fourth award for "Prescription Drug Launch of the Year." An instant success when it was launched in the U.S. in 1999, Celebrex repeated its initial success in major European markets during 2000. "Celebrex has become the number one brand of arthritis and pain medication in the world, and also one of the most recognized brands of any type," said Celine Stahl, M.D., MFPM, director, Licensing and Development. "Its success demonstrates the potential that can be achieved by a partnership of two of the industry's leading research companies."
Chuck Hardwick, vice president, Government and Public Affairs, Corporate Affairs, attended the awards ceremony. "Pfizer people are driven by the relentless pursuit of new and better solutions to the world's ills," he said. "We are dedicated to using the products of research to better the health and well-being of mankind. Also, our commitment to community involvement is an intrinsic part of our culture. These awards reflect caring and compassion, which are core to who we are and what we do. They also reflect our recognition that Pfizer's success is inextricably linked to the quality of life and economic vibrancy of our society and the communities in which we operate."
This is not the first year that Pfizer has been recognized at the Global Pharmaceutical Awards. In 1999, the company earned top honors in three categories: Lipitor was awarded the prize for "Best Launch," PGRD President John Niblack was named "Research and Development Manager of the Year," and Pfizer Chairman Bill Steere was honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award."
