SULIT NA GAMOT, GAWA NG PFIZER Most medicines have proven to save lives and improve the quality of life of people everywhere. However, because of the difficult economic situation, the tendency is to focus too much on the cost of medicines rather than the cost of disease. Equally important to consider is the cost of disease. Disease results to absences from work, loss productivity and complications lead to more expenses. The cost of disease needs to be considered to realize the real value of treatment of disease. Balancing these two important issues, it is important to focus on proven effective, efficient and safe drugs so that patients and health care system in general can maximize the value of their limited resources. It is important for everyone to know that WELL RESEARCHED medicines WITH PROVEN EFFEECTIVENESS AND SAFETY in fact help to reduce costly hospitalizations, loss of productivity and the disruptions in our daily lives. When faced with life-threatening conditions, many of us would opt to be given the best cure possible. Life is too precious and that is the reason why the best medicines are always what we would prefer for ourselves and our loved ones. It is always best to consult your doctor and not to rely on others, or one’s self, who are not the authority on the treatment and management of disease. In a recent medical symposium, Pfizer shared the long and arduous process to develop medicines. From discovery where as many as 7 million compounds are screened to exploratory development and full development where only 1-2 products get approval, taking 10-15 years and US$800 million to develop a single medicine. It is because of the research of companies such as Pfizer that generics medicines are available today. After the patent of a product expires, generic companies are free to copy the formula of the innovator companies, without need for investment on research and development on their part. For Pfizer, the research does not stop once the product is made available to patients. Clinical trials are conducted to ensure that the medicines are safe even with prolonged use as well as to discover how these can provide more benefits to patients. Pfizer, together with physicians, medical organizations and academic institutions, conduct Outcomes Research studies to make sure that medicines are used rationally, thus making the medicines more cost-effective for patients in the long run. It is on this platform that Pfizer has launched its Sulit Na Gamot campaign. Taking medicines that safely and effectively treat high cholesterol, for example, may spare you the risk of having to undergo costly bypass surgery and/or post-stroke rehabilitation, not to mention the physical and emotional burden they present. A convenient, short-course, antibiotic treatment may be more effective to treat infections as it encourages compliance, reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance.               In photo is Dr. William Chua, Past President of the St. Luke’s Heart Institute, and Dr. Ma. Rosario Cruz Sevilla, Chief of the Section of Cardiology at the UPHMC sharing the value of outcomes research and health economics to their peers during a medical symposium held in September.   In photo is Dr. Felix Eduardo R. Punzalan, Head of the Cardiovascular Research Unit of the Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine UP-PGH, and Dr. Agnes Estrella, Vice-President, Philippine Association for Renal Health, discussing the value of research and development during a medical symposium held in September.       See related media: Still Ad Video

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