GSK tops other pharma companies in improving access for the poor –report
British pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) was ranked as the top drug maker for the fifth time to improve access to medicine in developing countries, according to the Access to Medicine Index report, which ranks 20 of the leading pharmaceutical companies very two years.
GSK was followed by Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Merck KGaA.
Although improvements have been seen in terms of access to medication in developing countries and drug makers have become more sophisticated in addressing the issue, there is still more that needs to be done to make a wider range of products affordable and accessible to consumers, said Jayasree Iyer, executive director of the Amsterdam-based Access to Medicine Foundation.
The independently compiled index, first launched in 2008, is now widely tracked by the industry and has helped focus executives’ attention on the issue of getting life-saving treatments to people in poor countries.
While the foundation tracks a total of 850 drugs for the 51 most burdensome diseases in low- and middle-income countries, its report found that only 44 of these had effective pricing strategies in the highest-priority countries.
“It’s obvious that the industry can do much more in the area of affordability,” Iyersaid. “There’s still a huge gap of more products that need to be there.”
Astra Zeneca and Takeda Pharmaceutical both climbed significantly within the index, after expanding their drug access programs, while Novo Nordisk, Roche and Gilead all slipped down the ranking.
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
