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Key Conversation with Pfizer

This article appeared in the April 2020 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

Q: What has Pfizer been doing to elevate itself further as a leading global manufacturer?

Calitri: We began 2019 by launching what we call our Purpose Blueprint — the road-map that will guide our company for the foreseeable future and help us deliver on our purpose: Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. The Blueprint includes five “bold moves” intended to pivot Pfizer from an era of revenue stabilization to one of expected sustained growth. All five “bold moves” are deeply imbedded into all the manufacturing sites.

 

Q: What can manufacturers do to help fight COVID-19 while boosting the economy?

Calitri: We need manufacturing now more than ever. Our Pfizer colleagues here in Michigan are essential workers and have continued to come into work every day to make life-saving medicine. Many of the medications we make in Kalamazoo are considered medically necessary and are used to help symptoms related to COVID-19. Pfizer is here for the patients and our dedicated colleagues take a lot of pride in coming into work.

 

Q: Pfizer recently released a five-point plan to battle COVID-19. Tell us about it.

Calitri: Our CEO, Albert Bourla, is committed to doing all we can to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pfizer is working to advance our own potential antiviral therapies and is engaged with BioNTech on a potential mRNA Coronavirus vaccine. We are committed to work as one team across the industry to harness our scientific expertise, technical skills and manufacturing capabilities to combat this evolving crisis.

  1. Sharing tools and insights: With very little known about this virus, many are working to develop cell-based assays, viral screening, serological assays, and translational models to test potential therapies and vaccines.
  2. Marshalling our people: Human capital is our most valuable resource. Pfizer has created a SWAT team of our leading virologists, biologists, chemists, clinicians, epidemiologists, vaccine experts, pharmaceutical scientists and other key experts to focus solely on addressing this pandemic.
  3. Applying our drug development expertise: Many smaller biotech companies are screening compounds or existing therapies for activity against the virus causing COVID-19 but some lack the experience in late stage development and navigating the complex regulatory systems. Pfizer is sharing our clinical development and regulatory expertise to support the most promising candidates these companies bring forward.
  4. Offering our manufacturing capabilities: Once a therapy or vaccine is approved it will need to be rapidly scaled and deployed around the world to put an end to this pandemic. As one of the largest manufacturers of vaccines and therapeutics, Pfizer will use excess manufacturing capacity and potentially shift production to support others in rapidly getting these life-saving breakthroughs into the hands of patients as quickly as possible.
  5. Improving future rapid response: Finally, to address future global health threats, Pfizer is reaching out to federal agencies to build a cross-industry rapid response team of scientists, clinicians and technicians able to move into action immediately when future epidemics surface.
Q: Where do you see manufacturing’s future?

Calitri: We look forward to executing on our “Bold Moves” to help bring more breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. More specifically, one can envision a more digital factory and a seamless supply chain. Higher automation and connected factories are on the near horizon. Targeted therapies for patients could lead to smaller scale- almost customized manufacturing facilities. What we can be sure of is that what we do here in Michigan and around the world will benefit patients everywhere.