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Pat the Pill's Journey from Laboratory to Medicine Cabinet Where Do New Medicines Come From?

Medicines improve peoples' lives. Every day, thousands of doctors and scientists at Pfizer are trying to find new cures and treatments for people like you. Right now, we have more than 200 drugs that we are trying to develop, test, and make safe.

We know that too many Americans have trouble paying for the medicines they need. We also know they are looking for ways to help manage the cost of their drugs. Many people may ask:

  • How are medicines tested for safety?
  • Why are generic drugs cheaper than brand name drugs?
  • How is the price of a drug decided?
  • How can I get my medicines for less?

To answer these and other questions we have created a drug called Pat. Pat will help show you the life of a medicine, from its birth to its later years. We hope Pat will help answer some of your questions. We also hope Pat helps to give you a good picture of how Pfizer discovers medicines and finds new cures.

Where Do New Medicines Come From?

Download a PDF version of this site.

Pat the Pill Explains Generic Drugs

Learn the difference between a brand-name drug and a generic one from Pat the Pill.

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If you do not have Adobe® Reader, download it here. It is available without charge from Adobe®. This link is provided as a convenience. Pfizer is not responsible for the content of this linked page.
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