GSK says ranked No 1 in global Access to Medicine Index
View(s):GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been ranked first among global pharmaceuticals companies in the 2012 Access to Medicine (ATM) Index released recently by the Access to Medicine Foundation.
An independent initiative, the Access to Medicine Index ranks the world’s 20 largest companies according to their efforts to make their products more available, affordable and accessible in developing countries, highlighting policy and practice that either facilitate or hinder access to medicine, according to GSK.
The Index, which is published every two years, gave GSK a score of 3.8 out of a possible maximum of 5, following an in-depth evaluation of company activities in seven areas considered to be key to enhancing access to medicine in developing countries — drug donation and philanthropy, capability advancement, patents and licensing, equitable pricing, research and development, public policy, and general access to medicines management, the GSK statement said.
“GlaxoSmithKline led the field in four out of the seven key areas and was in the top three in others, enabling the company to retain its position at the top of the index for the third successive time,” it added.
The Index covers 20 companies, 103 countries, and a broad range of products such as drugs, vaccines, diagnostic tests and other health-related technologies necessary for preventing, diagnosing and treating disease. A total of 33 diseases are covered, and the disease scope this year included maternal conditions and neonatal infections.
Commenting on this globally significant accolade, Stuart Chapman, Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Sri Lanka said: “Over the last five years GSK has made fundamental changes to its business model, expanding to more countries and making its medicines and vaccines more available and affordable.”
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