Pfizer tours Phl to fight pneumococcal disease

MANILA, Philippines - World Pneumonia Day is fast approaching, and this global celebration serves as a serious reminder for all Filipinos that the disease is the number one killer of Filipino children under five years of age. Pneumonia has killed and continues to threaten countless children worldwide every day.

Seeking to fight a disease that kills more children than dengue, leading biopharmaceutical company Pfizer took on a special mission this past year, as it traveled across the country to vaccinate thousands of children against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases (PDs).

PD hot spots visited

The “PD Alliance in Motion” campaign delivered Pfizer’s pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to far-flung areas in the country.

Pierre Niles, Pfizer’s senior product manager for vaccines, said, “The effort saw the collaboration of doctors, vaccine experts, LGUs, NGOs and motorcycle riders from the elite Club PK, as we all embarked on a road trip spanning several provinces in the Philippines to vaccinate children against PD, the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death.”

In the months leading up to World Pneumonia Day, Pfizer has been touring Luzon, a region with one of the highest PD cases in the country.

On its first leg, Pfizer teamed up with Pangasinan fourth district Rep. Gina de Venecia and brought the anti-pneumonia vaccines to the marginalized community of Barangay Pantal. Close to a thousand parents and their children lined up to receive the vaccine.

The next destinations were Pandi, Bulacan and Porac, Pampanga, with 1,000 children vaccinated. In Pandi, the campaign was led by Mayor Enrique Roque and in Pampanga, Sen. Lito Lapid and Mayor Carling de la Cruz.

Aside from receiving the vaccines, the beneficiaries were also given important information on pneumococcal disease, and the best ways to stop it from spreading.

Dr. Maaliddin Biruar, product physician of Pfizer, said in the Pampanga lecture that there are “more than 90 strains of pneumococcal disease and many of them are resistant to antibiotics. This is where vaccination plays an important role — prevention is the best way to fight this disease, and broad-coverage vaccination is the key to true prevention.”

On its Tarlac leg, Pfizer found valuable support from the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, as well as Sparks for Change, and the administration of Mayor Noel Villanueva, with the vaccination team trooping to Concepcion town to dispense vaccines to almost 800 children from the surrounding areas.

A model for Asia

Several Pfizer regional executives led by Daniel Brindle, senior director of international public affairs and policy for Asia also attended. Brindle mentioned that because of this Filipino initiative, “Pfizer is looking for ways where we can adapt this model to give back to other places in Asia.”

With the vaccination campaign proving so far to be a success, Pfizer emphasized that the efforts are far from over.

“We’re determined to continue giving help to the places that need it the most,” said Patricia Pascual, Pfizer’s public affairs director. “This is a nationwide initiative, and we plan to continue the fight against pneumococcal disease in more key areas.”

Pfizer’s PD vaccine was recently recognized globally with the 2011 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent.

The Prix Galien Award is considered the “Nobel” among the industry’s highest accolades and is determined by a distinguished committee that includes seven Nobel Laureates in medicine and is led by Peace Prize winner Professor Elie Wiesel.