The international nonprofit organization Population Services International (PSI) and the biopharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced Healthy Communities, a US $1 million collaboration to expand access to life-saving hypertension medicines and treatment services in Myanmar and Vietnam.

Approximately one-quarter of all adults in Myanmar and Vietnam have hypertension^1,2, which can lead to stroke – a leading cause of mortality in both countries. The Healthy Communities program, designed to reduce the barriers that limit hypertension detection, screening, and treatment adherence, aims to incubate sustainable and scalable treatment models and understand how best to support patients and providers.

“Pfizer has partnered with PSI for many years based on our shared vision of making a meaningful contribution to improving global health and ensuring access to quality healthcare, especially in underserved communities around the world,” said John Young, group president of Pfizer Essential Health. “Through this partnership we are helping to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, which ultimately can aid in preventing severe illness and saving lives.”

Karl Hofmann, President and CEO of Population Services International, said, “PSI's partnership with Pfizer is a great example of the impact that can be achieved when values are shared between organizations that are committed to learning and improving the health of people in low resource settings. We are excited to work with Pfizer to better understand hypertension management in Asia, investigate the needs of our joint consumers, and ensure that we are building long term-programs to provide basic health for all.”

The Healthy Communities program aims to develop sustainable and scalable models of hypertension management in high-burden countries, with an initial goal to screen more than 500,000 people and train up to 400 healthcare workers to provide hypertension management services in 360 private sector health facilities in Myanmar and Vietnam. The program also supports Pfizer’s commitment to Access Accelerated, a global partnership involving more than 20 biopharmaceutical companies and associations, working with partners such as the World Bank, and the Union of International Cancer Control, towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal target to reduce premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by 2030.

Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world®

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer(link is external) and @PfizerNews(link is external), LinkedIn(link is external), YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer(link is external).

About PSI

PSI is a global health network of more than 50 local organizations dedicated to improving the health of people in the developing world by focusing on serious challenges like a lack of family planning, HIV and AIDS, barriers to maternal health, and the greatest threats to children under five, including malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition. A hallmark of PSI is a commitment to the principle that health services and products are most effective when they are accompanied by robust communications and distribution efforts that help ensure wide acceptance and proper use. PSI works in partnership with local governments, ministries of health, corporations, foundations and local organizations to create health solutions that are built to last. For more information, please visit www.psi.org

References

1. PT Son et al. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Vietnam—results from a national survey. Journal of Human Hypertension (2012) 26, 268–280.

2. Cho Naing et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hypertension in Myanmar: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicine- Volume 93, No. 21, Nov 2014.