With the latest donation of $385,000 in primary care medicines for the Physician Travel Pack program, Pfizer Canada has surpassed the milestone of having donated $50 million in needed medicines for health projects in the developing world.
“Since 1994, Pfizer Canada has been one of HPIC’s top donors of medicines,” said Glen Shepherd, President of HPIC (Health Partners International of Canada). “Pfizer has always responded generously when we make our annual requests for medicines. They also have been very quick to respond to emergency appeals, such as Haiti in 2010 and the South Asian tsunami in 2004. Clearly, Pfizer is an industry leader in philanthropic support and we are proud to have the company as a partner in our work of increasing access to medicine and improving health in the developing world.”
In 2010 alone, Pfizer Canada donated more than $3 million in medicines. More than $1.5 million in antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anti-fungals were given to help treat survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Other medicines were donated for HPIC’s Physician Travel Pack program, which equips Canadian healthcare workers with primary care medicines for short term medical missions. A variety of hospital medications was given to respond to needs at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, a partner hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan in HPIC’s Capacity Building and Access to Medicines project.
Pfizer Canada also supports HPIC with annual general funding which helps HPIC’s mission and makes it possible for HPIC to run projects all over the world. Last year, with the help of Pfizer Canada and other donors, HPIC provided $28 million in medicines and medical supplies to projects in 75 countries. In addition to donations of medicine and financial support, Pfizer Canada also provides volunteers to pack Physician Travel Packs at HPIC’s distribution centre in Mississauga and has provided information technology expertise.
“Pfizer Canada’s partnership with HPIC is a major component in our commitment to improving health in the developing world,” said Paul Lévesque, President of Pfizer Canada. “Our employees expect Pfizer to take action to help improve lives in the communities where we live and in the larger global community. We are proud to make this contribution to HPIC’s mission and to respond to the Federal Government’s call for help from the private sector in times of crisis like the tsunami and Haiti.”
The partnership with HPIC is a great example of Pfizer’s contribution to global health programs. Globally, Pfizer Inc. invests in a full range of resources — people, products, expertise and funding — to improve global health. Pfizer’s philanthropic global health platform offers a strategic, coordinated approach to improve access to medicines and health care for underserved patients around the world. The investments are done in partnerships with national governments, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, multilateral organizations and academic institutions. These efforts focus on diseases such as Malaria, HIV, Trachoma and various other infectious diseases.
HPIC operates according to the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Drug Donations, meaning that donated medicines must have minimum dating, be appropriate for the destination country and respond to identified needs.
About HPIC
Health Partners International of Canada is a humanitarian not-for-profit relief and development organization dedicated to improving access to medicine and enhancing health in the developing world. HPIC contributes to well-being by providing donated essential medicines, supplies and vaccines, building national health sector capacities, and responding to emergencies and health threats. We partner with a network of ministries of health, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and healthcare professionals, with pharmaceutical and healthcare product companies, and with Canadian government departments; and we count on the financial support of individual donors, foundations and corporations. Because of our unique model, HPIC multiplies every donated dollar to provide, without discrimination, at least $10 of free medical aid.
About Pfizer in Canada
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc, the world’s leading biopharmaceutical company. The company is one of the largest contributors to health research in Canada. Our diversified health care portfolio includes human and animal biologic and small molecule medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional products and many of the world’s best-known consumer products.
Every day, Pfizer Canada employees work to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. We apply science and our global resources to improve the health and well-being of Canadians at every stage of life.
Our commitment is reflected in everything we do, from our disease awareness initiatives to our community partnerships, to our belief that it takes more than medication to be truly healthy. To learn more about Pfizer’s More Than Medication philosophy and programs, visit morethanmedication.ca. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca.
More Than Medication is a registered trademark of Pfizer Canada Inc.
For further information:
| HPIC Contact: Christina Parsons Director, Corporate Communications 514-822-1112, ext. 119 [email protected] |
Pfizer contact: Julie-Catherine Racine Corporate Communications 1-866-973-4937 [email protected] |
