Press Release: Pfizer to realign U.S. sales organization

As Initial Step in Transformation Strategy and Review of All Business Units, Pfizer to Align U.S. Sales Organization to Support Its Key Products and Customer Needs Pfizer Says Representatives Are Critical Competitive Advantage and Core Asset in Communicating Value of Medicines NEW YORK, Nov. 28 -- As part of its strategy to most effectively and efficiently meet customer needs as well as match the organization's business needs, Pfizer said today that it will realign its U.S. sales organization. The company will reduce the U.S. sales organization by approximately 20 percent, while maintaining strong support for all of its in-line products, including Lipitor, Celebrex and Geodon, as well as important new products such as Lyrica, Exubera, Chantix and Sutent. Pfizer announced in mid-October that it would undertake a comprehensive review of every aspect of its company-wide operations with the goals of being more agile, effective and capable of best ensuring success today and in the future. In January, Pfizer will present its long-term outlook and its additional actions for transforming the company. "The changes we are making today will better align our sales organization to our overall customer and business needs. This is an important step toward making Pfizer a more agile and effective company," said Jeffrey B. Kindler, Pfizer's chief executive officer. "Our field force will now be in a much better position to adapt to changes in our product mix and capitalize on the growth opportunities we see for our innovative medicines. While we pursue these opportunities and respond to the accelerating changes in our marketplace, our field force will continue to be a critical competitive advantage in ensuring the success of both our products and our company as a whole. The relationship of our representatives with physicians and health care professionals is one of Pfizer's most important assets. We are committed to giving our representatives all the support and tools they need to make an even greater contribution to our success going forward." Ian Read, president of Pfizer Worldwide Pharmaceutical Operations, said, "The U.S. sales organization has done an outstanding job this year. At the same time, it is incumbent upon us to look ahead and carefully assess our changing marketplace and all the factors affecting our outlook, so that we can align our organization to properly support our key products and customer needs. "As we do this, I am confident we will maintain our sales leadership and our representatives will continue their critical work in communicating important medical information to prescribing physicians. Consistent with Pfizer's long-standing values, we will provide affected employees with support services and benefits during their transitions. We will continue to support and reward our top performers," Read said.