GSK tops access to medicines ranking

pharmafile | June 21, 2010 | News story | Sales and Marketing GlaxoSmithKline, developing world, medicines access 

GlaxoSmithKline does the most of any pharma manufacturer to improve access to medicines needed in the developing world, according to a new survey.

The UK company topped the Access to Medicines Index 2010, ahead of rivals such as Merck & Co, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer.

The index is compiled from a number of measures, including equitable pricing, access to medicines management, public policy, influence, product donations and philanthropy, R&D, patents and licensing.

When it was first published in 2008, there were seven Europe-based companies in the top ten – compared to just six this time, which suggests US firms are closing the gap.

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Pharma companies have also been more forthcoming than two years ago about their policies and actions when it comes to increasing access to medicines, researchers said.

“The 2010 ranking reveals important progress, if only because companies have shown far greater willingness to open up,” said Dr Carissa Etienne, assistant director-general at the World Health Organization.

Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck KGaA and Novo Nordisk all fell in this year’s rankings while Gilead Sciences and Pfizer moved up.

“The Access to Medicine Index independently assesses how individual pharmaceutical companies perform in promoting universal access to essential medicines, and is thus an important tool in improving performance,” said Etienne.

The report identifies more industry initiatives than two years ago, but also sees room for improvement. “The index unveils great improvements, especially in the areas of research and development, and equitable pricing,” said index founder Wim Leereveld. “At the same time, it shows that the industry as a whole still has a long way to go.”

There is also a ranking for generics companies this year, topped by Ranbaxy Laboratories, followed by Cipla and Dr Reddy’s.

Top 20 in the Access to Medicines Index 2010:

• GSK

• Merck & Co

• Novartis

• Gilead Sciences

• Sanofi-Aventis

• Roche

• AstraZeneca

• Novo Nordisk

• Johnson & Johnson

• Abbott Laboratories

• Pfizer

• Boehringer Ingelheim

• Eli Lilly & Co

• Bayer

• Bristol-Myers Squibb

• Eisai

• Merck KgaA

• Takeda Pharmaceutical

• Astellas Pharma

• Daiichi Sankyo

Generics index:

• Ranbaxy Laboratories

• Cipla

• Dr Reddy’s

• Mylan

• Sun Pharmaceuticals

• Teva Pharmaceuticals

Created by the Netherlands-based not-for-profit organisation Access to Medicine Foundation, the index was researched by RiskMetrics ESG Analytics.

Adam Hill

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