The role of commercial enterprises in health

Dr. Petra Laux, GSK Brussels

September 2001

Global Presence of GlaxoSmithKline

•GSK GSK is one of the industry leaders, with an estimated seven per cent of the world's pharmaceutical market.

•GSK R&D GSK R&D has 24 sites in 7 countries and the budget is about £2.4bn/$4bn.

•Global Manufacturing and SupplyGlobal Manufacturing and Supply: GSK has 108 manufacturing sites in 41 countries

•GSK has over 100,000 employees worldwide

OutlineTo bear witness of the views of

various GSK senior executives on

the challenge of improving healthcare

who can help industry’s role and principles

Peter

Our mission“Our global quest is to

improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer”

But: Many people in developing countries do not have access to basic health care services, including safe and effective medicines

Our commitment addresses three critical areas:

1. Investment in research and development to the developing world

2. Sustainable preferential pricing

3. Community activities that promote effective healthcare

Sustainable Preferential Pricing

Current scheme: all Least Developed Countries and all

countries in Sub-Saharan Africa Governments, international agencies,

NGOs, charities and international purchase funds; employers

all HIV, all anti-malarials pilot for anti-infectives, de-worming

agents and anti-diarrhoeals

Sustainability of preferential pricing

no prices below costs

no benchmarking of prices to developed world

no product diversion/parallel trade of preferential priced products

partnership

full IP Protection

Access to medicines

is a complex and multifaceted issue, rooted in poverty

– limited access to food and clean water

– shortage of hospitals and clinics to administer medicines

– poor distribution networks

– high levels of illiteracy

– low numbers of trained healthcare workers

– lack of political will: health as a priority

A rich R & D pipeline for the developing world: 20 active projects

hepatitis E vaccine, meningitis A and C combination vaccine, new diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B vaccine, Malaria LAPDAP, for resistant infections, LAPDAP + artesunate (CDA), for acute, uncomplicated malaria; Malarone in the treatment of infants, children; Malarone in complicated, severe malaria; tafenoquine for the prevention of malaria; a tuberculosis vaccine (in collaboration with Corixa); tuberculosis chemotherapy (in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital); Oxibendazole (for women of child-bearing age); sitamaquine for visceral leishmaniasis; a new combination product and a novel protease inhibitor for HIV/AIDS

Photos (taken out to reduce data)

What about Intellectual Property?

Patent protection stimulates and fundamentally underpins continued research and development

Focus on IP and the TRIPs agreement in the access debate is misleading and counter-productive:

95% of EDL medicines protected, 30% people no access

countries without IP have no better access: India only 15% of ARVs are patent protected TRIPS not implemented yet in many countries (50%) preferential priced products are available

TRIPS and Doha

TRIPS contains inbuilt flexibilities to safeguard public health, eg Compulsory licensing, parallel trade

no reopening necessary

any clarification in line with existing agreement

Shared Responsibilities