One of our main responsibilities as a global pharmaceutical company is to help keep the patients who take our medicines safe. Pfizer’s commitment to medicine safety begins in the research laboratory - and continues for as long as the medicine is prescribed to patients anywhere in the world.

Pfizer employs thousands of medicine safety specialists around the world; research scientists, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, epidemiologists, and others. These colleagues work in parallel to and with regulatory authorities to understand, the risks and benefits of our medicines both before and after they are approved for doctors to prescribe to patients. We do this through understanding the science of a medicine collection of adverse event reports, observational studies, and other activities, including independent safety studies we fund but are conducted by third party investigators on our behalf.

The decision to use a medicine is affected by the balance of benefits and risks. At Pfizer, our goal when it comes to our medicines and vaccines is to ensure each has an appropriate balance of benefits and risks, and is held to the highest quality standards.

Health Literacy is a way of describing the skills we need to look after our health. It plays an important role in how we are able to understand and act on health information. Low health literacy can affect anyone and many people find health information difficult or confusing. Pfizer has taken an important role in promoting clear health communication.

We support healthcare professionals and patients with resources and tools to encourage better health conversations that may help improve outcomes for patients.

How do people decide whether or not to take a medicine? When patients and healthcare providers think through the available treatment options, they consider the benefits and risks of each option. Benefits are the favourable effects and risks are the unfavourable effects. It is also important to understand how likely a patient is to experience any of these effects. You and your healthcare team should discuss absolute and relative risk as they apply to you.

Do you ever have questions on how to safely take your medicine? For most patients, the benefits of taking a medicine are greater than the risks when used as prescribed. Medication errors can happen in clinics and hospitals, pharmacies, and at home. Patients and healthcare providers, however, can work together to help prevent these errors. Patients like you can help prevent medication errors. Never forget that you, the patient, are an important member of the healthcare team.

Counterfeit medicine is fake medicine, It’s a problem that is on the rise around the globe. Deaths from counterfeit medicines use are difficult to determine. Global annual estimates range from 100,000 to 1 million. Counterfeit versions of over 80 medicines have been confirmed in more than 110 countries. We have an aggressive campaign to fight counterfeit Pfizer medicines. Working with law enforcement, we’ve helped prevent +200M counterfeit medicines from reaching patients since 2004.

We encourage the proper disposal of unused medicines. Actions to reduce improper disposal of expired or unwanted prescription and nonprescription medicines reduce the potential for diversion, improper use of medications, and help protect our water. Through education and awareness programs, we work together with regulatory agencies, the broader healthcare community, and the public to better understand the potential impacts associated with the improper disposal of unused medicines.