Pfizer Donates Vials of Factor IX to the World Federation of Hemophilia to Help Developing Countries

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Oct 24, 2012, 11:18 ET

MONTREAL, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Pfizer Hemophilia is donating more than 35 million IUs of its recombinant factor IX therapy to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) to help hemophilia B patients in underserved regions of the world.

"This donation has the potential to impact people living with hemophilia B in more than 40 countries worldwide," said Alain Weill, WFH president. "The WFH relies on these donations to advance our goal of improving and introducing treatment in developing countries where care might not otherwise be available. We are thankful for our continued work with companies like Pfizer, which has historically made some of the largest donations to our Humanitarian Aid program, which channels donations of life-saving treatment products to people with bleeding disorders who need them and supports our vision of Treatment for All."

"The product donation underscores our joint commitment to providing hemophilia medicines in developing countries and hemophilia care around the world," said Andrew Callos, Vice President, Commercial Development, Pfizer. "We understand that overall care has improved for people living with hemophilia, but significant disparities still exist, with about 75 per cent of people with bleeding disorders receiving inadequate treatment or no treatment at all. It is our hope that, by partnering with organizations like the WFH, Pfizer can help bridge the treatment gap and continue providing access to hemophilia medicines for patients who need them."

This donation and Pfizer's ongoing commitment will continue to strengthen the WFH's Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) Program and help provide those in need with valuable and life-saving medicines. In addition to this initiative, Pfizer is the exclusive sponsor of the WFH Twinning Program, a program that partners developing and developed patient organizations or treatment centres. WFH's latest 50^th anniversary film, Changing Lives Through Twinning, will be released by the WFH in early November. To learn more about the WFH Twinning Program and GAP visit www.wfh.org.

About Hemophilia
Hemophilia is a type of bleeding disorder that causes the blood to take a long time to clot, and occurs almost exclusively in males. Hemophilia affects more than 400,000 people worldwide, an estimated 1 in 1000 women and men. People with hemophilia B have a deficiency in clotting factor IX, a specific protein in the blood. Approximately one in 50,000 people globally have hemophilia B.People with hemophilia can experience uncontrolled internal bleeding that can result from a seemingly minor injury. Bleeding into joints and muscles causes severe pain and disability while bleeding into major organs, such as the brain, can cause death.

About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, has worked to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it is a global network of patient organizations in 122 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization. Visit WFH online at www.wfh.org.

SOURCE World Federation of Hemophilia