From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew it would take unprecedented collaboration across multiple industries to combat the virus. As we strive together to bring innovative science to the world, a constant in our work has been collaborating with other organizations on solutions that streamline the patient journey and simplify the ways people learn about vaccines and treatment.
I was proud to highlight these efforts on behalf of Pfizer during a recent panel discussion at the HLTH global conference (October 8-11), which uniquely brought together stakeholders from across the technology and healthcare industries to collaborate on solutions. innovative for patients.
We are at an important moment in these efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects the 2023-2024 season to bring a similar number of total hospitalizations for COVID-19, flu and RSV as last year.1 We must work to overcome the challenges we face by providing people with information so they can make decisions to help protect themselves from COVID-19 and seek care as soon as possible if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19.2
Throughout the pandemic, we have pioneered innovative ways to reach patients who have been diagnosed and give them the information they need to take the next steps where they are. We know patients need their healthcare to be more intuitive, connected and accessible. Our goal is to help simplify the process by partnering with those who already support the patient (such as their healthcare provider, pharmacy or employer) and leveraging existing platforms (such as a familiar consumer environment or an app on their phone), as well as through completely new digital solutions.
For example, through our partnership with Signal health We provide information on the signs, symptoms and risk factors for progression to severe COVID-19. Cue Care, a same-day at-home โtest-to-treatโ platform, and the Cue Health app are two examples of the resources this partnership offers.
Through a partnership with Cheers Ada, we offer patients an end-to-end virtual journey of COVID-19 care. Users start by taking a COVID-19 test. Then, in three steps that take place in their own home, users can complete an eligibility questionnaire to learn if they may be at risk of progression to severe COVID-19, consult with a healthcare provider via telemedicine and, if eligible, receive a prescription for treatment.
We are proud not only of how these partnerships, services and resources can help patients, but also how they can improve health equity. By seamlessly connecting patients from underserved communities to treatment, we can potentially reduce the total cost of care. These new avenues have also given us approaches that we can apply to other disease areas.
We are always looking for ways to give patients what they need to seek treatment quickly. Expanding our reach with external partners is vital to our efforts and essential to our mission to deliver life-changing breakthroughs. I look forward to seeing the incredible improvements in connected healthcare processes that our future partnerships will continue to bring to patients.
By James Allen
Vice President, Test-to-Treat and Partnerships, Pfizer
James is the global strategic partnerships leader for Pfizer's antivirals and diagnostics business. He passionately believes in the opportunity to transform healthcare delivery through cross-industry collaboration and learning the right lessons from disruptive innovation in adjacent sectors. In previous roles, James led business unit strategy for Pfizer's Oncology and Inflammation & Immunology franchises, and has managed major customer-centric transformations across consumer goods, financial services, government and retail organizations, as well as healthcare and life sciences.
References
1. Outlook for the respiratory disease season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/forecast-outbreak-analytics/about/season-outlook.html. Last reviewed September 14, 2023. Accessed October 5, 2023.
2. Outlook for the respiratory disease season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/forecast-outbreak-analytics/about/season-outlook.html. Last reviewed September 14, 2023. Accessed October 5, 2023.
