KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As an official partner of the First World Congress on Healthy Ageing, Pfizer reaffirms the companys commitment to promote healthy and active ageing at all stages of life as a basis for enhanced productivity in the Asia Pacific. Pfizer will lead a luncheon symposium today focused on the relationship between health and economic sustainability and the resulting challenges and opportunities of shifting demographics across the region.

We are seeing an explosion of older populations in Asia and need to adapt our strategies to address this worrying trend, said Theresa Firestone, Regional President, Asia - Emerging Markets for Pfizer. This is a phenomenon we cannot ignore, and Pfizer is proud to support this first-ever Congress as an important step in advancing the good work of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society, deepening collaboration with other key stakeholders, and developing solutions to this critical issue.

In many societies in the Asia-Pacific region, populations are ageing at unprecedented rates brought on by increased longevity and lower fertility rates and leading to an explosion in the size and proportion of ageing societies. For instance, Singapore, Vietnam, and China each rank among the most rapidly aging developing countries. In Singapore, the over-60 demographic segment will nearly quadruple, increasing by nearly 450% between 2000 and 2050 to account for a full 38% of its overall population. In Vietnam and China, the increases in percentages will be similar. Yet, for China, the worlds most populous country, this will add up to 437 million people over 60 by 2050, a number equivalent to the entire worlds elderly population in 1985. In Malaysia, the percentage of the over-60 population will increase from 8% today to 20% by 2050.

Pfizers approach to healthy and active ageing will focus on two critical areas aimed at enhancing productivity and economic sustainability as developing Asian societies age:

Speakers during Pfizers expert panel include:

In addition, Pfizer will sponsor a workshop on Wednesday 21 March focused on the importance of adult immunization, to be led by Dr. Christopher Lee, Head and Senior Consultant for the Department of Medicine and the Infectious Disease Unit at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, Malaysia in coordination with Melissa Mitchell from the Global Coalition on Aging and Dr. Vicknesh Welluppillai, Medical Director, Pfizer Malaysia.

The developing Asia region is at a critical juncture requiring a new and strong focus on how governments, NGOs, businesses, physicians and other innovators can come together to find solutions that promote healthy ageing, said Assoc. Prof. Nathan Vytialingam, President of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society and Organising Chairman of the 2012 Congress. The Congress aims to find these solutions and prompt a new way of thinking and collaborating for the future.

The First World Congress on Healthy and Active Ageing will take place 19-22 March 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information, visit http://www.healthyageingcongress.com

About Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world

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Pfizer Pledges to Strengthen Lifelong Health Strategies for Asia-Pacific Region During First World Congress on Healthy ...