Pfizer

Pfizer Incorporated is a pharmaceutical company that focuses on research, development and production and sales of prescription medicines for both humans and animals around the world. It is currently the number one pharmaceutical company in the world in terms of sales. This New York City-based company has its main research facility in Groton, Connecticut.

The company has a wide range of pharmaceutical products that it offers to customers, such as Lipitor, which is used to lower blood cholesterol levels; Lyrica, which treats neuropathic pain; Celebrex, which cures arthritis, inflammation, and acute pain; Viagra that treats erectile dysfunction; and Zithromax, an antibiotic.

Pfizer was founded by German-American cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhardt in Brooklyn, New York in 1849. By the 1950s it had expanded its operations in other countries including Brazil, Belgium, Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Iran, Panama, Turkey, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.

Currently, Pfizer has been structured into four divisions, namely, Human Health, Consumer Healthcare, Animal Health, and Corporate Groups. The company is being led by Chief Executive Officer Jeff Kindler, who is also the chairman of Pfizer’s board of directors.

Just recently, on October 15, 2009, Pfizer completed a deal with pharmaceutical powerhouse Wyeth to buy the latter for $68 billion through cash, company shares, and loans.