[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Page 29737]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       PFIZER'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
Pfizer, Inc. on its 150th anniversary. As one of the global leaders of 
the important pharmaceutical industry, Pfizer has helped to improve the 
health of men, women and children around the world for the last century 
and a half. The company employs 4,939 men and women in its Groton, CT 
research facility, which lies in my home state.
  Pfizer is committed to helping people live better lives--not only by 
bringing best-in-class medicines to market, but also by working with 
patients and physicians to develop comprehensive disease management 
programs that educate people about ways to better control their 
illness, rather than letting their illness control them.
  Pfizer's long history is full of adventure, daring risk-taking, and 
intrepid decision-making. Founded by German immigrant cousins Charles 
Pfizer and Charles Erhart in 1849, Pfizer has grown from a small 
chemical firm in Brooklyn, NY to a multinational corporation, which 
employs close to 50,000 people.
  Pfizer has a long tradition of developing innovative drugs to combat 
a variety of illnesses. In 1944, Pfizer was the first company to 
successfully mass-produce penicillin, a breakthrough that led to the 
company's emergence as a global leader in its industry. Since then, 
Pfizer has marketed dozens of effective medicines designed to fight 
conditions like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and infections. 
Nearly all of the major medicines marketed by Pfizer are No. 1 or No. 2 
in their categories
  In addition, Pfizer provides a wide range of assistance to those in 
need. The desire to live a healthy life is universal. But for millions 
of people around the world, access to high quality health care remains 
out of reach. Pfizer is committed to bringing their medicines to those 
in need. Through Sharing the Care, a program started in 1993, Pfizer 
has filled more than 3.0 million prescriptions for its medicines--
valued at over $170 million--for more than one million uninsured 
patients in the United States. The program was cited by American 
Benefactor, a leading philanthropy journal, in selecting Pfizer as one 
of America's 25 most generous companies for 1998.
  As you can see, Pfizer has made innumerable contributions to our 
nation and our world, and its accomplishments should be applauded as it 
celebrates its 150th anniversary.

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