Petrelis Files

Pfizer: Medicine for Katrina's AIDS patients

From: Roberts, Ron
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 11:10 AM
To: 'Murray Penner'

Murray,

Thank you and NASTAD for your rapid engagement with outreach to assure that Hurricane Katrina HIV impacted consumers have immediate access to their essential medications. In response to your inquiry as to “…what Pfizer might be able to do to assist with this disaster…” , please let me share the following.

Since the first hours of the disaster, we have been in contact with local, state and federal officials to assess how our company can best respond to the immediate humanitarian and healthcare needs and long-term rebuilding. As a result, we have announced several initiatives, including:

- Pfizer is partnering with Walgreen's, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, Sam's Clubs, community pharmacies and Argus Health System to help hurricane victims easily obtain Pfizer medicines and healthcare products. Under this program, hurricane victims in need of medication can fill their prescriptions for Pfizer medicines at participating pharmacies. Victims and their families obtain these medicines whether they have lost insurance or prescription records or have limited incomes because of this disaster.

- Patients can go to the nearest participating pharmacy for help in obtaining Pfizer medications.

- We are also providing medicines through several local hospitals and relief organizations, including those providing medical assistance at the Houston Astrodome and Dallas Reunion Arena, and relief operations at hospitals affiliated with Louisiana State University.

- We are giving $2 million in cash to the relief and recovery efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Of that total, $1 million will be directed to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the United Way of America Katrina Response Fund, in support of urgent relief efforts. Another $1 million will be directed toward the longer-term rebuilding of hospitals and healthcare centers. The Pfizer Foundation will also match contributions by U.S. employees and retirees.

- We are working with the appropriate state and local officials and relief agencies to determine specific needs for our consumer and animal health products for victims of the disaster. Consumer health items have already been shipped to New Orleans and to various shelters in the affected states.

- We are assessing Pfizer services and employees’ skills that can be deployed as part of the relief and recovery efforts. This includes the deployment of nine Pfizer employees to help the State of Louisiana help run its drug inventory program, after a similar effort we made in response to the tsunami in Asia.

I also want you to be aware that we are working to confirm that the almost 200 Pfizer colleagues residing in the affected communities are safe. We are especially concerned about the approximately 15 colleagues who have yet to make telephone contact, and are making every effort to locate them and their families.

Like the rest of the nation, the hearts of all Pfizer employees go out to the people who are suffering from one of the worst natural disasters in this nation’s history. Our prayers are with the families of those who died in Hurricane Katrina, for the tens of thousands of people who have been injured, and the hundreds of thousands who are either homeless or living in severely damaged housing.

Pfizer’s participation in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts is in keeping with our long-standing tradition of responding to disasters that pose major threats to public health. We will continue to work in concert with the appropriate federal and state agencies and the major relief organizations to identify ways that Pfizer can provide assistance.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely, Ron
Ron Roberts
Sr. Director-HIV Team Lead
Government Relations
Pfizer Inc
325 - 7th Street, NW Liberty Place, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 783-7070
Fax: (202) 347-2044
Email: ron.roberts@pfizer.com