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GlaxoSmithKline logoAnnual Review 2004: New challenges - New thinking

The world is changing...

Today’s global healthcare challenges mean that new thinking is called for by the pharmaceutical industry


Healthcare funding crisis
The demand for quality healthcare is growing faster than governments' and healthcare purchasers' ability to support it. GSK's challenge is to deliver innovative and affordable medicines that meet the real and unmet needs of people burdened by disease. By working closely with patient groups, we are able to tailor our development process to better meet patient needs and maximise the effectiveness of our R&D expenditure. 		  R&D productivity
It is getting more difficult and taking longer - currently an average of 12 years - to develop new medicines. Despite a substantial increase in global R&D expenditure, fewer novel medicines were launched in 2003 than at any time during the last 20 years. GSK's challenge is to discover new medicines faster and more economically. In recent years, we have transformed our R&D function. The result has been a nearly 80% increase in the number of New Chemical Entities in our pipeline, which is now one of the largest in our industry.
World
Access to medicines
In the developing world, where infectious diseases present an enormous burden, there is an urgent need for medicines but a lack of resources to pay for them. GSK is the only company that is developing medicines and vaccines to treat all three of the World Health Organization's top priority diseases: malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. In 2004, GSK shipped 33 million tablets of preferentially-priced Combivir (GSK's HIV treatment) to Africa.		   Transparency
Today, physicians, patients, stakeholders and investors quite rightly demand greater levels of transparency about the safety and efficacy of medicines. In 2004, GSK started publishing its clinical trial data on the internet for anyone to access. We are the first pharmaceutical company to offer this level of transparency. We have also increased the information made available through our reporting and on our corporate website (www.gsk.com).

 

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