Nigeria: Pfizer launches 'second annual patients in focus week'

Pfizer Inc., a leading American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation has launched a second Annual Patients in Focus Week.

The weeklong event is themed “With Patients. For Patients.”, signifies a renewal of Pfizer’s ongoing commitment to serving patients.

Speaking at the launch from Nigeria in a virtual session on Friday, October 7, Sally Susman, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer said “For our work to be meaningful, every function of Pfizer needs to understand the importance of engaging patients, caregivers, and advocates in our work.

By showcasing real patient experiences and where we have made an impact on patients’ lives, Patients in Focus week will continue to build empathy and show colleagues how to focus on patient advocacy year-round and in everything we do.”

He added: “In West Africa, we’re demonstrating our commitment to patients through an interactive panel discussion with the Country Manager and patient advocates in Oncology, Rare Diseases and Immunization to discuss ‘Promoting Health Equity As a Patient Advocate’.

Speaking to reporters from across the region, Pfizer West Africa Country Manager, Olayinka Subair disclosed that “the summit will help learn from our patient advocacy partners to understand how we can better incorporate patient voices into our work every day,” noting that Pfizer could not realize its purpose without the pivotal role played by patients, caregivers, and advocates — whether engaging in our Research & Development efforts, offering consult on our clinical trial design, or partnering with us to develop tools, resources, and easy-to-understand materials for our patients.

Vice President, Global Access Financing, Pfizer, Ms Michelle Akande shared the opinion of Subair saying that real patient and caregiver experiences would build empathy and allow to better understand patient journey and how to work with them to address unmet needs.

“Patients in focus allows us to showcase bi-directional advocacy relationships and partnerships that build trust and increase awareness of the value and benefit of partnering with patients across all functions,” she said.

Speaking on the positive collaboration between the Rare Disease Ghana Initiative and Pfizer, Executive Director of the initiative, Samuel Agyei Wiafe said collaboration with Pfizer has been able to address gaps in the management of rare disease from increased knowledge and awareness to early diagnosis and prevention to the best-to-best practice treatment and care to community engagement to access to best treatments and comprehensive research.”

Dr Gregory Oyinloye, Medical Director, Leah Foundation in Kwara State, said collaboration with Pfizer enabled the foundation to close the care gap with cancer treatment.

“We are able to offer consultation and assessment, counselling, awareness and sensitisations campaign through road walks, radio jingles in the North Central axis of Nigeria,” Oyinloye said.

Also, Chika Nwankwo, Programmes Lead, Vaccine Network for Disease Control, Abuja, said the network and Pfizer have a long-standing relationship of collaborating to address pertinent issues and sensitizing communities through edutainment.

“This approach of community awareness drive has since been adopted by many health outreaches and has achieved positive results in transforming community behaviours to vaccines and other health services in Nigeria,” she said.