Pfizer

Pfizer is one of the world's largest multinational pharmaceutical companies and were behind the development of the revolutionary impotence treatment Viagra. It's at the forefront of pharmaceutical development and has been continuously striving to provide health solutions to some of the world's most pressing health problems for more than 100 years.

History

Pfizer was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and William Erhardt in New York and were one of the first to artificially produce Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. However, one of the company's most pioneering moments came when it started mass-producing penicillin during the Second World War. After this Pfizer had great success with the development of Terramycin, a broad spectrum antibiotic, in the 1950s and in the 1960s Vibramycin was one of Pfizer's first one-a-day broad spectrum antibiotics. During his time it also branched out into animal health.

During the 1970s, Pfizer developed Minipress, a treatment for high blood pressure, in the US and in 1980 they introduced Feldene which became one of the most widely sold anti-inflammatory treatments in the world. During the rest of the decade the company developed a range of different medications, ranging from injectable antibiotics and cholesterol medications to treatments for animals and hypertension medication. In 1997 Pfizer was rated first on Fortune magazine's rich list and went on to introduce the world to the breakthrough impotence medication Viagra the following year.

During the early 2000s Pfizer entered into a number of mergers and acquisitions which included Warner-Lambert (2000), Wyeth (2009), King Pharma (2010) and Pharmacia (2003). It was also during this time that Pfizer started focusing on developing better healthcare for poor American communities and went on to launch a number of new treatments.

You can visit the Pfizer website to find out more about the company's history.

Treatments

Pfizer has an exceptionally wide portfolio of medications and is continuously doing research and developing new ways to provide solutions to health problems, including Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Some of its most widely used medications include Viagra for the treatment of impotence, Champix to aid people in giving up smoking, the extremely popular statin for the treatment of high cholesterol Lipitor, the antifungal treatment Diflucan and Metformin to treat and manage Type 2 diabetes.

The outlook

Pfizer's headquarters are currently in New York and it has multiple manufacturing plants located around the world where they currently have a number of products in the pipeline. Currently there are various products in the final registration phases intended for pain management, oncology and cardiovascular problems.