Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company: The World's Largest Pharmaceutical Company

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers

Why is Pfizer disclosing this US Medical, Scientific and Patient Education Grants and Charitable Contributions information?

Pfizer is proud of its longstanding support for organizations that share its commitment to improving public health. Pfizer also discloses information on its pipeline of experimental medicines, clinical trials, post marketing commitments and political contributions in the US, and we are actively looking for more ways to better communicate with the public about how we operate, consistent with our statement on transparency in grants.

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What information is available on this web page?

The data posted on this web page reflects Pfizer's best effort to provide quarterly reports of grants and charitable contributions made by Pfizer to US patient, scientific and medical organizations, beginning in 2008. Funding reported here includes payments related to human medical care in the form of medical education grants, fellowship, scholarship and visiting professorship support for institutions, grants to patient organizations, medical and scientific associations, and academic or other medical centers, and charitable contributions. For descriptions of these funding types, please visit our descriptions section. Reported information includes the name of the recipient organization, a brief description of the funded activity, and the amount of funding provided. Pfizer may update the quarterly reports if additional relevant information becomes available.

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Are organizations receiving Pfizer support aware of this effort?

Yes. Pfizer has informed organizations that received funding in 2007 and 2008 of our plans to publicly disclose Pfizer's support. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

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Will funding support to medical, scientific and patient organizations based outside the US be reported?

Pfizer is currently working with external stakeholders globally to determine the appropriate method and scope of disclosure worldwide. Because laws and rules vary from country to country, reporting will vary. In the UK, for example, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry requires disclosure of grants to patient organizations. Pfizer goes beyond this requirement and describes the nature of Pfizer's relationship with these groups.

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What is a Medical Education Group grant?

Pfizer supports the efforts of independent accredited organizations in their mission to improve patient care through the provision of healthcare provider education. These grants, submitted through our website, are completely independent of commercial influence. They are reviewed within the Pfizer medical organization through a multi-tiered process by education, medical, regulatory and legal professionals for adherence to this standard of independence along with the level of educational quality.

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Is the volume of funding activities consistent throughout the calendar year?

No. Funding of grants and charitable contributions may fluctuate throughout the year, following the pattern of requests for such funding from medical, scientific and patient organizations.

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Are you going to disclose grants and charitable contributions made prior to 2008?

Data regarding charitable contributions made through the Pfizer Foundation are available beginning with 2001 on the website www.foundationcenter.org. For all other types of grants and charitable contributions, we began this disclosure with the 2008 calendar year to allow us to notify current and prospective grant recipients of our transparency initiative prior to disclosure. We also sought to solicit and incorporate the views of these organizations into the disclosure process, which we have done.

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Where can I find more information about requesting a grant?

For information about submitting requests for medical education grants, visit www.pfizermededgrants.com. For information about applying for health care charitable contributions, visit www.pfizerhealthcharitables.com. For information about applying for fellowships and scholarships, visit www.promisingminds.com. For information on the broad range of programs Pfizer supports, visit www.pfizer.com/responsibility.

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Is any of the funding support reported on this web page used for the continuing medical education (CME) of health care professionals?

Yes. Many of the grants provided by Pfizer's Medical Education Group are used to support CME programs. Pfizer recently discontinued the practice of directly funding CME programs provided by medical education and communication companies, but honored existing commitments through the second quarter of 2008. These programs therefore remain in our report for the remainder of 2008. For more information about Pfizer's ongoing commitment to CME, visit www.pfizermededgrants.com.

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How does Pfizer ensure that grants and charitable contributions do not pose a conflict of interest with recipient organizations?

Pfizer respects the integrity of the medical, scientific and patient organizations with whom we partner. As such, we strive to achieve the highest level of ethical business conduct in our partnership grants and charitable contributions. Funding support to US-based medical, scientific and patient organizations is in no way intended to influence or reward the recipient for present, past, or future use or support of Pfizer medicines, or to gain access for promotion purposes, or to influence the outcome of a clinical trial. In addition, none of these payments is given to reward recipient organizations for influencing or attempting to influence specific legislation, regulation or governmental health care policies, nor are these payments given on behalf of government officials or elected officials. This support is one way we contribute to the improvement of patients' lives and the advancement of scientific research, in conjunction with our core business of developing innovative medicines.

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Is Pfizer disclosing all grants and charitable contributions made to US patient, scientific and medical organizations?

The data posted on this web page reflects Pfizer's best effort to disclose all grants and charitable contributions made by Pfizer to US patient, scientific and medical organizations, beginning in 2008. Gifts made by the Pfizer Foundation of every amount to all recipients are reported on an annual basis, and can be found at www.foundationcenter.org. Business expenses such as scientific congress exhibit fees, event sponsorships and membership dues to medical associations, which provide some material value to Pfizer, are not included. Charitable contributions to civic and cultural institutions and some aid to disaster-relief groups are outside the scope of this web page, though such funding by the Pfizer Foundation can be found in the Pfizer Foundation annual giving report at www.foundationcenter.org.

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