*23-month-old child dies in Texas of swine flu

*Death is first outside Mexico and first in U.S.

*Official says child was in Houston for treatment

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A 23-month-old child has died in Texas from the new H1N1swine flu, becoming the first death in the United States from the virus, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said on Wednesday.

A Houston health official said the child was a Mexican who traveled to the city for medical treatment.

It is the first death from swine flu reported outside Mexico, the country hardest hit by this influenza outbreak. U.S. officials have confirmed 65 cases of swine flu, most of them mild but with five hospitalizations in California and Texas.

“Unfortunately, this morning I do have to confirm that we have the first death of a child from H1N1 flu virus. And this is in Texas, a 23-month-old child,” Dr. Richard Besser, acting head of the CDC, told the CBS “Early Show.”

“The child came to Houston for medical treatment. The family had traveled to South Texas. The child became ill and they transported the child to Houston for medical care,” Houston health department spokeswoman Kathy Barton told CNN by telephone.

She said she did not know which part of Mexico the child came from.

President Barack Obama, speaking at the White House before a one-day visit to Missouri, said the confirmed death underscored the urgency of taking steps against the disease.

“This is obviously a serious situation. Serious enough to take the utmost precautions,” Obama said, urging state and local authorities to increase their vigilance.

“Every American should know that the federal government is prepared to do whatever is necessary to control the impact of this virus,” he said.

MORE DEATHS EXPECTED

Besser of the CDC had predicted that as they searched for cases, CDC experts would find severe infections and deaths in the United States, even though most of the patients had mild illness.

“As we look, we’re going to find more cases. We’re going to find more severe cases and I expect that we’ll continue to see additional deaths,” Besser told NBC’s “Today” show.

He said additional details would be released by Texas authorities.

Mexico previously had reported the only deaths — 159, based on symptoms and initial tests, with seven deaths so far confirmed by additional laboratory analysis at the World Health Organization.

Influenza regularly kills people around the world, with an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 deaths from the seasonal virus every year. Every year at least a few perfectly healthy children die from seasonal influenza in the United States.

WHO and CDC officials have been trying to assess just how serious the new H1N1 swine influenza strain is. It has been found globally, with cases across North America, Europe and New Zealand.

“We have about 100 cases outside Mexico, and now you have one death. That is very significant,” said Lo Wing Lok, an infectious disease expert in Hong Kong.

The CDC recommends frequent hand-washing to avoid infection with the new flu virus. It also recommends that people who are sick stay home, cover sneezes and coughs, and avoid unnecessary travel to Mexico until more is known. (Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong, Doina Chiacu and Will Dunham in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

Public health officials remain on high alert for flu-like symptoms among Canadian travellers who recently returned from Mexico, following confirmation Friday of a swine flu outbreak in that country that has killed at least 20 people in the last month.

According to Agence-France Presse, Mexican authorities say “45 deaths and 943 possible infections” are now being investigated. The cases had earlier been called severe respiratory illnesses and hadn’t been identified as human cases of swine flu.

As of Friday morning, no cases have been identified in Canada.

Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg has been involved in assisting Mexican authorities identify the flu-like sickness, which has mostly struck healthy young adults. Most of the cases are concentrated in Mexico City and others were reported in San Luis Potosi, Baja and Oaxaca.

The lab, recognized as a world leader in identifying infectious diseases, was sent samples from Mexico. It’s not clear if the test results from Winnipeg were the ones that prompted the Mexican government to confirm the cases as swine flu. Laboratories in the United States were also testing samples from Mexico.

Seven people in the United States, five in California and two in Texas, have also contracted swine flu. It’s not yet known if the strain they have, H1N1, is the same as the one in Mexico. All seven have recovered and U.S. health authorities say they are not overly concerned about the cases but are monitoring the situation.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, swine flu is a respiratory disease common in pigs that is caused by type A influenza and was first identified in 1930. Over the years, different variations of the swine flu viruses have emerged.

Swine flu viruses do not normally spread to humans, but when they do it is usually because people have had direct exposure to infected pigs. In the recent cases reported in California and Texas, none of the people had any exposure to pigs.

There have been a dozen reported cases in the United States between December 2005 and February 2009 and the virus has been known to spread from one person to another. In 1988, a 32-year-old pregnant woman became sick a few days after visiting a county fair where there was widespread illness among the pigs. She died eight days after being hospitalized.

The symptoms are similar to those of a regular flu such as fever, coughing, lack of appetite, and energy loss. Some people who have contracted the virus report runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Canadians who have returned from Mexico within the last week and are feeling sick should advise their doctor of their recent travels.

A Cornwall Ont., man who returned from the vacation hot spot with a mysterious illness in late March spent 11 nights in an Ottawa hospital’s intensive are unit before being released April 9.

Prospective travellers are being warned to be vigilant and to take precautions.

The World Health Organization is keeping a close watch on the developments in the United States and Mexico. It has identified swine influenza as a potential source of human flu pandemics. Concern and preparation for a flu pandemic have recently centred on the H5N1 strain of the bird flu. The WHO has activated its global epidemic operations centre.

WASHINGTON, April 22/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Members of Congress and patient advocacy groups announced today the introduction of new legislation – H.R. 2002, Medicare Patient IVIG Access Act of 2009 – meant to remedy inadequate Medicare reimbursements that currently restrict patient access to Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG), a life-saving and life-enhancing therapy for many primary immunodeficiency diseases; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Kawasaki disease; autoimmune and neurological conditions such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, myasthenia gravis, myositis, multiple sclerosis, just to name a few.

Sponsored by Reps. Israel, Brady and Schwartz, this bill is similar to legislation introduced by Sens. Kerry and Alexander in March of this year. Passage of this legislation would benefit Americans nationwide for whom IVIG is a necessary therapy to help them live with their primary immunodeficiency disease, neurological, autoimmune or other rare chronic conditions and illnesses.

“For those suffering with immune-deficiency disorders, IVIG is a life-saving and life-sustaining treatment. But because of inadequate Medicare coverage, patients are suffering,” said Rep. Steve Israel. “We must fix the insufficient coverage Medicare provides for IVIG treatment, which is why I’m sponsoring legislation to help get these patients the care they need.”

“Access for those who rely on IVIG therapy to sustain a normal life is an issue that must be addressed, and we are doing so by introducing this bill,” said Rep. Kevin Brady. “Through my work with patients and families living with conditions that rely on IVIG, the access issue has become very close to me personally and a cookie-cutter approach like Medicare can be dangerous to this unique treatment.”

Eighteen patient advocacy groups and health care professional organizations, including the Immune Deficiency Foundation and the Alliance for Plasma Therapies, already have endorsed the bill via a joint letter of support, and IVIG patients and caretakers echoed that support while sharing their personal struggles in trying to access IVIG therapy during a briefing for stakeholders today. Special guests and patient advocates included Terri Cerda, who, together with her two young daughters, battles combined immunodeficiency disease and whose family will be featured on the May 10 episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and Nebraska State Senator Abbie Cornett, who has common variable immunodeficiency disease. Other speakers included Jenny Gardner, a patient with common variable immunodeficiency; Lt. Col. Eugene B. Richardson, ret., who has progressive chronic polyneuropathy; and Craig Orfield, staff of Senator Enzi who has idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

“Since 2005, patient access to IVIG has diminished, and Medicare beneficiaries throughout the country have experienced major health problems because of reimbursement reductions,” said Marcia Boyle, founder and president of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. “We are grateful for the support of Representatives Israel, Brady and Schwartz and their sponsorship of this critical legislation that is designed to restore access to this vital therapy, and we are heartened by the overwhelming support from the patient advocacy community.”

“Today is an unprecedented day to see so many different disease groups come together as a unified voice to strongly urge Congress to fix the unintended consequence of the Medicare Modernization Act which has caused Medicare beneficiaries to lose access to their lifesaving plasma therapy, IVIG, and has caused detrimenta l consequences to their health,” said Michelle Vogel, executive director of the Alliance for Plasma Therapies. “We applaud Representatives Israel, Brady and Schwartz for championing this issue to restore patient access to this vital therapy in all sites of care.”

About the Immune Deficiency Foundation

The Immune Deficiency Foundation is the national patient organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of persons with primary immunodeficiency diseases through advocacy, education, and research. To learn more about IDF, visit www.primaryimmune.org

About the Alliance for Plasma Therapies

The Alliance for Plasma Therapies is a national non-profit organization established to provide a unified, powerful voice of patient organizations, healthcare providers and industry leaders to educate about the diseases that rely on plasma derived therapies and advocate for fair access to plasma therapies for patients who benefit from their lifesaving effects. To learn more about the Alliance, visit www.plasmaalliance.org.

Patient Advocacy Organizations and Professional Societies Supporting the Medicare Patient IVIG Access Act of 2009

Immune Deficiency Foundation, Alliance for Plasma Therapies, American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, A-T Children’s Project, Clinical Immunology Society, Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, GBS/CIDP Foundation International, Infusion Nurses Society, International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation, Jeffrey Modell Foundation, The Myositis Association, National Patient Advocate Foundation, The Neuropathy Association, Neuropathy Action Foundation, Patient Services Inc., and Platelet Disorder Support Association.

Blair Horner, executive director of NYPIRG, said, “The law is laudable, the goals are important, the public needs it,” adding, “The program, though, needs to be fixed.” Craig Burridge, the executive director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, said the society is working with the New York Department of Health to correct errors and update the site. According to the report, other states — such as Florida, Michigan and Vermont — have drug price comparison Web sites that contain similar inconsistencies (AP/Long Island Newsday, 4/8).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery athttp://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

FRIDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) — Debate about the ideal age to retire has been going on for years. But with the U.S. economy in a dramatic slump, the flip side of that question — how old is too old to work? — has become uppermost in many people’s minds.

As workers young and old fret about dwindling retirement accounts in the wake of the mortgage crisis and stock market tumbles, they joke that they’ll have no choice but to work until they’re 90 or beyond.

But many also wonder: Will I be able to?

Research has offered some reassurances. Researchers have learned that there is no ideal retirement age and that older adults who keep their thinking skills sharp by learning new things off the job can stay more competitive in the job market, too.

“In today’s economy, it becomes more of a necessity than a luxury to keep working,” said Dr. Joseph Sirven, a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. The short answer to the question, “How old is too old to work?” is, Sirven said, “when you are not able to do the job.”

But there’s much you can do to prevent that from happening, he and other experts have found. “What we find now from research and a neurological perspective is [that] the secret to good aging is, you have to keep busy,” Sirven said. “Sometimes that means exercise, physical activity. But it means a lot of mental and cognitive activity” also, he said.

Today, Sirven said, older adults frequently retire from one career and transition into another — something that’s matched to their skills and experience and takes into account any age-related disadvantages.

His advice for people who plan to work well beyond the traditional retirement age of 65: “Focus on what work can you do that you can keep up with as you age.”

Take stock of your attributes and drawbacks: “You may not be the quickest or mo

The test, called AVantage A/H5N1 Flu Test, detects influenza A/H5N1 in throat or nose swabs collected from patients who have flu-like symptoms. The test identifies in less than 40 minutes a specific protein (NS1) that indicates the presence of the influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype. Previous tests cleared by the FDA to detect this influenza A virus subtype can take three or four hours to produce results.

“This test is an important tool to help quickly identify emerging influenza A/H5N1 infections and reduce exposure to large populations,” said Daniel G. Schultz, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The clearance of this test represents a major step toward protecting the public from the threat of pandemic flu.”

Influenza A infects both humans and animals. H5N1 is a subtype that is found mostly in birds, although infections have also occurred in humans, mostly in people who have come into contact with the virus through infected poultry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the few avian influenza viruses that have infected humans, the H5N1 subtype has caused the largest number of detected cases of serious disease and death.

There is a possibility that the influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype could mutate further and spread quickly to humans, causing an influenza pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, there are 412 confirmed human cases of infection from this virus, almost all in Asia and northern Africa. This virus subtype, which can cause life-threatening illness, has not been detected in the Americas.

In clinical studies, the test correctly identified the absence of infection in more than 700 specimens. In addition, the test correctly detected the presence of influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype in 24 cultured specimens from infected patients.

AVantage A/H5N1 Flu Test is manufactured by Arbor Vita Corporation, located in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Visit http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01987.html to see the news release.

The data, which will be published in a peer reviewed article in the May/June issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), show average total health care costs were reduced annually by $1,079 per patient compared to projected costs if the DTCC had not been implemented. Aggregate data for 573 participants, who were in the program for an average of 14.8 months, show patients saved an average of $593 per year on their diabetes medications and supplies because employers waived their co-pays to encourage patients to participate in the DTCC.

According to the analysis, there also were improvements in key clinical measures — including A1C (blood glucose), cholesterol and blood pressure – and increases in preventive care measures, including the number of people with current influenza vaccinations, eye exams and foot exams.

How the DTCC model works

Through the DTCC, conducted by the APhA Foundation through HealthMapRx(TM) with support from GlaxoSmithKline, employers established a voluntary health benefit for employees, dependents and retirees with diabetes. Thirty employers in 10 cities waived co-payments for diabetes medications and supplies if participants met regularly with a specially trained pharmacist “coach” who helped them track their A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol and manage their disease through exercise, nutrition and other lifestyle changes. Pharmacists communicated with physicians after every visit and referred patients to other health care providers for additional care or education as needed.

“The Diabetes Ten City Challenge demonstrated the power of partnership and the impact of putting patients at the center of their own care,” said Toni Fera, PharmD, director of patient self-management programs for HealthMapRx and lead author of the report.

More than 23 million Americans have diabetes at a cost of $174 billion a year. It is estimated that 200,000 people die of diabetes-related complications every year; and thousands are affected by blindness, kidney failure and problems of the lower extremities. In 2007, diabetes was responsible for 15 million work days absent, 120 million work days with reduced performance, and an additional 107 million work days lost due to unemployment disability.

APhA Foundation Vice President for Research and study co-author Benjamin M. Bluml said the DTCC offered a way for employers, pharmacists and people with diabetes to unite against the devastating disease. “The Diabetes Ten City Challenge provides a promising collaborative care model that blends important elements of a ‘reformed’ health care delivery process by integrating accessibility, patient-centeredness and value achieved by helping patients to make clinical improvements while managing costs,” he said.

DTCC expanded nationwide for all chronic diseases through HealthMapRx

The DTCC is modeled after several successful APhA Foundation programs that tested the pharmacist-coach model for managing chronic diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Earlier this year, the APhA Foundation announced a partnership with Mirixa Corporation, the nation’s largest pharmacy-based patient care network, to offer the DTCC collaborative care model to employers nationwide for diabetes and other chronic diseases through HealthMapRx.

“Chronic disease is responsible for 7 of 10 American deaths and 75 percent of the nation’s $2.2 trillion health care bill,” said APhA Foundation CEO and study co-author William M. Ellis. “The collaboration between the APhA Foundation and Mirixa provides an opportunity to transform health care delivery in local communities and drive fundamental change in the U.S. health care system. Our goal is to make this model as widely available as possible and encourage employers to invest in helping their employees manage all chronic conditions.”

About HealthMapRx

HealthMapRx is a partnership of the APhA Foundation and Mirixa Corporation that offers consumer incentive programs that focus on patient self-management education and techniques to help patients with chronic conditions improve health outcomes. The HealthMapRx programs match patients to community pharmacist “coaches” who provide hands-on education, monitoring, and evaluation of health improvements.

About the APhA Foundation

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit organization affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the U.S. The Foundation has expertise in designing programs to seek to create a new medication use system in the U.S. where patients, pharmacists, physicians and other health care providers collaborate to dramatically improve the cost and quality of consumer health outcomes through safe and effective use of medications.

Source: APhA Foundation

“The RACGP supports e-prescribing, which delivers considerable benefits to GPs and other medical practitioners” said Dr Chris Mitchell RACGP President.

“Our patients will benefit from reduced medication errors, ease of obtaining repeat and refill prescriptions. GPs will save time in the prescribing process, receive immediate feedback when a script or repeat has been filled and with a patient’s permission, be able to view their consolidated medication record.”

General practitioners who adopt e-prescribing will be able to:

- Reduce medication errors through electronic downloads by pharmacists
- Reduce script forgery and doctor shopping
- Receive immediate feedback from the Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions exchange when your script has been downloaded at a pharmacy
- Receive the same immediate feedback from the ETP exchange when a repeat/refill script has been downloaded at a pharmacy
- View scripts from other prescribers in a consolidated medication record (where authorised by patients)
- manage medication better for transitions of care (specialists, allied health, community, aged care, hospitals)
- Access medication compliance data (where authorised by patients)
- Reduce red tape
- Save up to a minute per consult when prescribing is managed electronically.

Having access to up to date information during the consultation is important. With the Medisecure solution it will be possible for doctors with their patient’s approval, to review current medication and make informed decision about treatment. Additionally, the College appreciates that the Medisecure system is able to link with existing systems and that the owners are actively engaging with all providers to ensure a high quality service.

“The future of e-health is in all providers having access to key information at the time that care is provided. This initiative is a great step forward” says Dr Chris Mitchell, President of the RACGP.

Over the last two years one of the ETP exchanges, MediSecure®, has been trialled in Darwin. The eHealthNT Trial, as it was known, was partly funded by the Department of Health and Ageing. For more information on the trial visit here.

Based on the results of this trial, the RACGP is working with MediSecure® – who provide a secure ETP exchange. However, there are several models of ETP available and each practitioner needs to assess which best suits their needs and those of their patients.

MediSecure deploys proven technologies from both general practice and community pharmacy to create a secure integrated system. Prescriptions are transferred from medical practitioners to community pharmacies using military grade security that has been designed to interface smoothly with other commercial ETP exchanges.

MediSecure is open to all pharmacy and medical practice software vendors and most importantly, with no cost to GPs.

MediSecure will be available from April 2009. General practitioners, specialists and pharmacists wanting more information should visit http://www.medisecure.com.au. The website also contains a useful demonstration of the ETP exchange.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia and represents the majority of Australia’s general practitioners.

Source
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

The AAHRPP accreditation was awarded to Pfizer’s clinical research units (CRUs) in New Haven, CT, Brussels, Belgium and Singapore, where the company conducts most of its Phase I clinical research. To earn the accreditation, Pfizer participated in a rigorous, 15-month examination of the clinical research practices at these units.

AAHRPP is an independent, non-profit accrediting body that promotes ethically sound research of the highest quality. Organizations seeking accreditation must provide tangible evidence – through policies, procedures, and practices – of their commitment to ensure human rights protection in clinical research.

“Pfizer is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in all of our clinical research activities,” said Martin Mackay, PhD, president of Pfizer Global Research & Development. “AAHRPP accreditation is tangible evidence of our continuing commitment to maintain the highest global standards for research by protecting the human rights of the individuals who take part in our early-stage clinical trials.”

CRUs and Phase I Research

Pfizer allowed AAHRPP to audit its three CRUs and demonstrated that these facilities met the high quality and ethical standards set by AAHRPP including requirements for research set by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), as well as research regulations in the United States, European Union and Singapore. The process included site visits, interviews and an application for accreditation that exceeded 1,000 pages.

Pfizer’s CRUs are staffed by doctors and other health professionals who maintain close ties with nearby hospitals to advance scientific knowledge and share best practices.

Phase I trials are the first studies of an investigational drug in humans. In these trials, small doses of an investigational medicine are administered under close medical supervision to healthy volunteer subjects. This allows researchers to measure responses to the investigational medicine, determine how it is absorbed by the body and how long it remains in the bloodstream, and assess the safety and tolerability of different doses.

“Safety and scientific excellence are the constant themes of our work,” said Rachel Harrigan, MD, Pfizer’s senior vice president of Development Operations. “This accreditation acknowledges the commitment of Pfizer’s physicians and other staff to the well-being of our volunteers and to our efforts to conduct the highest quality clinical trials at all stages.”

Pfizer voluntarily sought accreditation to demonstrate its commitment to integrity in research and because it wanted to be among more than 150 of the world’s best universities, hospitals, institutional review boards (IRBs) contract research organizations (CROs), and other organizations that are AAHRPP-accredited.

Pfizer worked closely with IRBs and ethics committees in New Haven, Brussels and Singapore, all of which invested considerable effort to evolve their standard procedures and methods of review for Pfizer studies in order to meet AAHRP standards.

“We are very pleased that Pfizer took a leadership position by demonstrating its commitment to human research protections by seeking and successfully achieving AAHRPP Accreditation,” said Felix Khin-Maung-Gyi, PharmD, chief executive officer of Chesapeake Research Review, an AAHRPP-accredited independent IRB based in Maryland. “I hope all others in the research enterprise, including fellow independent IRBs, sponsors, research institutions and sites, and CROs will follow Pfizer’s lead.

“While many companies strive for excellence in this area, there is no substitute for AAHRPP accreditation to cement the American public’s trust in our partnership for conducting clinical trials,” Dr. Khin-Maung-Gyi added. “It is our shared responsibility to those who both participate in and rely upon results from these trials to devote the necessary and appropriate resources for high quality, ethical research.”

Integrity in Research

The AAHRPP accreditation is another step in Pfizer’s ongoing efforts to earn public trust for integrity in research. Others include:

- Requiring that all Pfizer sponsored trials – regardless of where they are conducted — are carried out under the same international standards, including the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) 1996 Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice and the global principles set forth in the Declaration of Helsinki.

- Beginning in November 2008, requiring that all Pfizer U.S. multi-center clinical trials are reviewed only by central IRBs that are AAHRPP-accredited.

- Registering clinical trials on the public database http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. As of 2008, the company registers all clinical trials conducted on a Pfizer product (Phase I and beyond), as well as non-interventional studies with prospective data collection. To date, the company has registered more than 1,000 trials.

- Posting the results of its clinical trials at http://www.clinicalstudyresults.org. As of 2005, summary results of all patient studies conducted on a Pfizer product (Phase I and beyond) are posted, and starting in 2008, the results of all clinical studies, whether in patients or normal volunteers, are posted, as well as the results of prospective observational studies.

- Providing a regularly updated public website, describing compounds in its drug development pipeline and detailing their progress

- Building infrastructure of the developing world countries, where an increasing number of clinical trials are taking place. This work is conducted in partnership with local authorities and research institutions.

- Conducting training programs in good clinical practice (GCP) standards around the world in countries such as India, a top location for clinical research.

Pfizer is committed to conducting clinical trials globally according to the highest ethical and scientific standards.

Drug development is a worldwide effort and clinical trials are conducted in many countries, providing experience with different patient populations and reflecting the prevalence and incidence of the diseases for which Pfizer is developing medicines. Pfizer posts key company policies related to human subject protection at http://pfizer.com/sciencepolicy.

About AAHRPP

AAHRPP accredits high-quality human research protection programs in order to promote excellent, ethically sound research. Through partnerships with research organizations, researchers, sponsors, and the public, AAHRPP encourages effective, efficient, and innovative systems of protection for human research participants. AAHRPP, through accredited research programs worldwide, will ensure that all human research participants are respected and are protected from unnecessary harm.

Pfizer Inc: Working together for a healthier world™

Founded in 1849, Pfizer is the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to treat and help prevent disease for both people and animals. We also partner with healthcare providers, governments and local communities around the world to expand access to our medicines and to provide better quality health care and health system support. At Pfizer, more than 80,000 colleagues in more than 90 countries work every day to help people stay happier and healthier longer and to reduce the human and economic burden of disease worldwide.

Source
Pfizer