Over the past two decades, a number of countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East have demonstrated promising economic progress but still have huge challenges in access to health care. The mission of Emerging Markets is to develop bold, innovative partnerships so that Pfizer can reach billions of patients the company has never reached before, targeting diseases of the developing world and working to develop socially responsible, sustainable and commercially viable health care solutions. Key regions include Brazil, China, India and Russia, home to one-third of the world's population.
Just about every pharma company has an emerging markets strategy, and it is easy to see why. By 2012 this market is expected to be worth $269 billion. That is very attractive, but the competition is already fierce. We in Emerging Markets cannot succeed by just replicating what works in our established markets. We need to create a new business model, market by market. We have to find commercially viable and socially responsible ways to promote improved access to good medicine for billions of people who, right now, may not have heard of Pfizer.
Our advantages are strong. We have enduring relationships in places like China, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, India and other emerging markets. Pfizer has a reputation for quality, drug safety and social responsibility. And we're willing to put our commitment and money behind new approaches, especially in engaging nontraditional partners to serve these customers. If we can shift the focus from just providing a pill to offering, potentially, a slate of health care services and products that promotes wellness at affordable cost, everyone will win. When people in the 70 countries we serve hear "Pfizer" and think "I am healthier"—then we have progressed on the road to leadership in a market segment that may, in large measure, shape the future of Pfizer.
