By the Numbers: Inside Look at Pfizer’s Stats & History

Pfizer, it’s big and hard to miss with its 550 acres of property. It’s also a big topic lately with the recent reached between Pfizer, the Nanuet schools and the Town of Orangetown.

Here’s a look at Pfizer to better understand a company that affects so many surrounding residents.

• Pfizer is a global supply of specialty care / biotech and consumer healthcare
• Pfizer has done research and development worldwide with its vaccine research and oncology research unit.
• With a Pearl River address, most of Pfizer is in the Nanuet School District and the Town of Orangetown.

• 550: number of acres it sits on in Rockland County
• 200+: number of acres that are undeveloped
• 2/3: how much of the land is developed
• 2.5 Million: number of square feet that’s under a roof
• 28: number of buildings on the Pfizer property
• 8: number of miles of roadway on the Pfizer property
• 5: number of ponds on the Pfizer property
• 4: number of major products manufactured at Pfizer (Prevnar 7v, Prevnar 13, Mylotarg, Centrum family of multivitamins). Read below for information about these products.
• 2,300: approximate number of Pfizer colleagues
• 1907: the Year Dr. Ernst Lederle established the Pearl River site
• 2008: the Year Pfizer Earned the Voluntary Protection Programs “Star” which is the highest recognition for workplace safety and health from the OSHA
• 2009: the Year Pfizer Pearl River was presented with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Quality Award for its GreenWheels program AND the year its colleagues donated $200,000+ and 500+ hours of volunteer time to the community.
• 2011: the Year a Pfizer building complex will close when a part of the Prevnar manufacturing operation exits.
• 2012: the Year the Consumer Healthcare (Centrum) Production operation will exit, closing part of a building.
• 2017/2018: Approximate years the two Prevnar-related operations will exit, closing parts of other buildings.

Pfizer Pearl River is one of Pfizer's primary research sites and a central hub for Vaccine and Oncology research.

Vaccine Research develops first-in-class and best-in-class prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to protect the public and for the treatment of disease for all stages of life and for all geographies.

Oncology Research Unit seeks to discover high-impact medicines that transform patients’ lives through established projects and exploratory work in oncology in bioconjugates, metabolism and tumor architecture.

Prevnar vaccine: According to a World Health Organization (WHO) 2002 estimate, pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death worldwide in children under five years old. Pneumococcal disease is complex and describes a group of illnesses, all caused by the bacterium S. pneumoniae. It includes invasive infections such as bacteremia / sepsis and meningitis, as well as non-invasive disease including acute otitis media.

Centrum family of dietary supplements for the domestic U.S. market: Centrum, Centrum, Silver, Centrum Performance, Centrum Cardio, Centrum Chewables, Centrum Kids, Centrum Ultra Women’s

Mylotarg: a last-chance treatment indicated for patients 60 years of age and older with acute myeloid leukemia.

Dr. Lederle was a chemist who served as health commissioner for New York City in the early 1900s. In 1907, he established the Pearl River site. Since then, scientists, engineers and operators who have worked in the labs and on the lines have achieved significant medical and manufacturing.

He founded Lederlele Laboratories in Pearl River to expand production of the diphtheria antitoxin, which was the company’s first FDA-licensed product and a medicine combated a disease that caused the death of thousands of children on an annual basis at that time.

Pearl River scientists, engineers and operators pioneered the production of tetanus antitoxin and innovated processes that grew Pearl River to a major manufacturing center for typhoid, smallpox and polio vaccines.

Pearl River scientists discovered one of the first true broad-spectrum antibiotics, developed the original formulation for Centrum vitamins and have been deeply involved in the discovery, development and manufacture of Prevnar 7v and Prevnar 13.

Other important products resulting from contributions by Pearl River researchers include Tygacil, Torisel, Zosyn EF, Lybrel, and Pristiq. 

The site has a strong environmental compliance record:

• Over the last several years, it’s been driving a continuous downward trend in water use, waste generation and CO2 emissions, while increasing recycling and reuse.
• In 2009, received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Quality Award for its GreenWheels program.
• Recognized by the New York State Department of Transportation as a “Clean Air NY Champion” Recognized by Center for Urban Transportation Research as the “Best Workplace for Commuters”
• Earned the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) “Star” in 2008 which is the highest recognition for workplace safety and health from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• Recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council with a “Wildlife at Work” certification for the site’s outstanding wildlife habitat and biodiversity management. 

Three-pronged approach to community involvement: philanthropy, volunteerism and leadership.

In 2009, Pearl River site colleagues donated over $200,000 and more than 500 hours of volunteer time to the community.

A member of the site’s Community Outreach Committee sits on the governing board of each of the non-profits the site supports to lend leadership that’s matched with personal commitment.

The site supports

• United Way of Rockland County
• People to People
• Meals on Wheels of Rockland
• Habitat for Humanity

Site colleagues regularly organize drives for food, clothing and school supplies to donate to local not-for-profits

The site is a corporate sponsor and host site for fundraising events for the regional chapters of the March of Dimes and the .