In the United States, osteoporosis is directly responsible for 1.5 million fractures annually. Eighty percent of those who suffer from osteoporosis are women.

Women’s Health
Pfizer is committed to addressing the distinctive health needs of women throughout their lifespan. Approved indications of currently marketed products—including Norvasc and Lipitor for cardiovascular disease, Glucotrol XL for diabetes, Diflucan for vaginal candidiasis and Zoloft for depression—address some of the most serious health problems that women encounter.
Among products under development, droloxifene shows promise in addressing the unique medical issues of post-menopausal women. The loss of estrogen after menopause increases women’s risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Estrogen replacement therapy has side effects and raises other concerns that are often unacceptable to women. Droloxifene acts as an estrogen agonist in the bone and blood vessels, protecting against osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, while it acts as an estrogen antagonist in breast tissue, decreasing the potential for estrogen-induced breast cancer.
Pfizer’s development program for droloxifene is focused on prevention of osteoporosis. Preliminary data regarding the efficacy and safety of droloxifene in osteoporosis are encouraging, especially when compared to currently available products. The Company also plans to investigate the use of droloxifene in the prevention of breast cancer and other potential health issues of postmenopausal women.

Balanced Growth and Investment
Pfizer’s drug pipeline contains a total of 68 novel chemical entities in 18 therapeutic areas. With an abundance of opportunities in all stages of new product development, one of the Company’s principal challenges is to balance strong current growth with investment to sustain that growth through support of new products and continued building of a strong worldwide organization.

“People over 65 make up the most rapidly expanding segment of the world’s population, and their numbers—about 321 million at the start of the decade—are expected to reach nearly 800 million in 2025. Our team’s mission is to identify new therapies for the prevention and treatment of the musculoskeletal degeneration that’s part of the aging process. Our focus includes osteoporosis and physical frailty, and accompanying conditions such as loss of muscle mass.

Above, Pfizer researchers Kim Cameron and Hua Zhu Ke examine a cross section of bone displayed on the screen of a computerized axial tomography scanner.