In a press statement which Yemen Post received a copy of, GlaxoSmithKline GSK welcomed the publication of the third Access to Medicine (ATM) Index, which measures the performance of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to improve access to medicines and healthcare in developing countries.
GSK was ranked a top of the Index in 2012 for the third time of publishing, scoring highest in four categories including general access to medicine management, research and development activity, capability advancement and drug donation and philanthropy.
“In Yemen and across the developing world, GSK is committed to finding new and innovative ways to ensure access to medicines,” said Mr Omar Mulhi, Country Manager, GSK Yemen. “We are collaborating with government, NGOs and other private-sector companies to improve people’s health and well-being no matter where they live, while continuing to expand our business and invest in research.”
Over the past five years, GSK has made fundamental changes to its business model including re-investing 20 per cent of all profits in the least developed countries to help communities strengthen their local health infrastructure.
For example, in cooperation with Save the Children, GSK is funding the building of a Health and Nutrition Workforce for vulnerable communities in Yemen. The programme will benefit 45,000 children under the age of five; 30,000 children aged six and over; and 30,000 women of child bearing age.
The Access to Medicine Index is a major initiative of the Access to Medicine Foundation, an international not-for-profit organisation, established in 2004 and dedicated to improving access to medicines. The index ranks individual pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to enhance global access to medicines across seven categories: drug donation and philanthropy, capability advancement, patents and licensing, equitable pricing, research and development, public policy, and general access to medicines management.
The Index – the first of which was published in 2008, followed by a second in 2010 – provides an overall ranking of 20 pharmaceutical companies who are measured across a range of strategic and technical areas. It also analyses industry trends in commitments, transparency, performance and innovation.
GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.