Pfizer targets pain-free Phl with new campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Any form of pain is almost an impediment to many things — to work productivity, leisure time, or to life per se. For a person in pain cannot seem to think with clarity, act properly, and even speak clearly. Bearable or not, pain is just that one thing that can stop one from living life fully. 

For Pfizer Inc., the need to stop that pain is now. Recently, the company introduced its latest campaign on nerve pain awareness, dubbed “Know Your Pain, Stop the Pain,” which aims to educate and improve the quality of life of nerve pain sufferers in the Philippines.

As explained on its website, knowyourpainasia.com/ph, “nerve pain (or neuropathic pain) is a type of chronic pain that results from damage to either the nerves that normally sense pain or parts of the nervous system that transmit pain signals, such as the spinal cord or the brain. Unlike inflammatory pain (caused by injury of the tissues), nerve pain has no protective function. Usually, the sufferers complain of pain that feels like burning, pins and needles, numb, ants crawling, electric shock-like. It is intense and unpleasant, affects mood and sleep and a great source of suffering for those who have it.”

The website, knowyourpainasia.com/ph, is the campaign’s official online portal which seeks to provide patients with valuable information about nerve pain — when and how it happens, who are most prone, how it is detected based on its signs and symptoms and its management, including how to take care of affected loved ones.

The overall goal is to increase awareness and understanding so that patients and their loved ones can make a better informed decision toward its resolution.

But alarmingly in the Philippines, Dr. Cris Dumo, infectious disease specialist and Pfizer medical director, said majority of Filipino sufferers underestimate nerve pain.

“They do not consult doctors. Instead, they often resort to self-medications. They buy over-the-counter pain killer drugs or vitamins and supplements thinking that it is just an ordinary pain, without recognizing probable adverse effects and if it is really the right treatment.”

Dumo added: “Since these modalities are not proven effective in treating nerve pain, it could result in unnecessary spending and frustration among pain sufferers.” 

With Pfizer’s new campaign, the company aims to especially underscore the importance of patient empowerment through increase in awareness, better understanding and recognition about nerve pain.

By doing so, nerve pain sufferers can take proactive steps toward relief, productivity and better quality of life with the help of the doctor and their loved ones.

Pfizer has forged partnerships with doctors, hospitals and leading drugstores to further disseminate information about the “Know Your Pain, Stop the Pain” campaign.

For more information about nerve pain, visit www.knowyourpainasia.com/ph.