Infectious diseases continue to be one of the biggest public health concerns around the world. Since our pioneering work on penicillin in the 1940s, we have a strong history of addressing this evolving risk¹.

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens invading the body, and they fall into four major types, namely bacterial infections, fungal infections, viral infections, and parasitic infections¹.

Anti-infectives are medicines that work to help treat infections¹. They include antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic medications¹. Anti-infectives have revolutionized healthcare, and thanks to anti-infective therapies, we now can:

• Treat minor infections and many serious infectious diseases, like pneumonia or tuberculosis¹.

• Perform routine procedures and complex surgery, such as cesarean sections or joint replacements, which carry a risk of serious infection¹.

• Give vital immuno-suppressive treatments, like chemotherapy, to people with cancer¹.

Today, Pfizer is a leading global provider of anti-infective medicines, offering patients access to a diverse portfolio of products across a wide number of countries, including low- and middle-income countries².

Our current portfolio of anti-infectives includes therapies that help address the greatest unmet medical need, such as the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections and invasive fungal infection². Many of these therapies are administered in a hospital setting to patients living with serious infections that are difficult to treat².

We are also committed to research and development (R&D) to support the development of medicines to both treat and help prevent infections caused by resistant pathogens². We continue to evaluate opportunities and partnerships to expand our R&D pipeline to ensure we address the evolving medical needs of people and physicians in this important area of infectious disease².

Yet, many anti-infectives are losing their effectiveness due to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which, in turn may cause infections to become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat¹. AMR is therefore widely recognized as one of the biggest threats to global health today¹. A continued rise in AMR could take 10 million lives globally each year by 2050 – more than currently die from cancer¹.

Pfizer is a committed partner in the fight against AMR. We have had a long and proud heritage of addressing evolving infectious disease challenges, developing vaccines and anti-infective medicines that continue to improve the lives of patients around the globe³.

The Pfizer Bug Bus, which is part of a Global Pfizer initiative to educate members of the public about AMR was introduced in Malaysia to help #StopSuperbugs. The virtual bus offers an interactive and educational experience for the public to learn more about what they can do to help create greater antibiotic awareness.

The global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the past years has also shown us that small steps can have a big impact on public health. Handwashing, for example, can help stop infections from occurring in the first place.

¹ Pfizer website. Science. Focus Areas. Anti Infectives: Finding New Weapons. Last accessed on 2 April 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.pfizer.com/science/focus-areas/anti-infectives

² Pfizer Singapore website. Our Science. Focus Areas. Anti Infectives. Last accessed on 2 April 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.pfizer.com.sg/our-science/focus-areas/anti-infectives
³ Pfizer Bug Bus. Last accessed on 2 April 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.pfizerbugbus.com/my/