Pharmacy News EU

AMSTERDAM, June 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/
- Indian Firms Less Open About Efforts for Low-income Countries ThanOriginator Companies
AMSTERDAM, June 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/
Generic drug makers are less transparent about programs to make medicinesavailable to people in developing countries than originator companies inEurope and the United States. Overall, European drug companies are leading inthis area, according to the second Access to Medicine Index released today.

Compared to 2008, when the first Index was published, many pharmacompanies worldwide gave more insight into their policies and actions toincrease people’s access to medicines in low-income countries, researcherssaid in a report underpinning the new Index. They identified more industryinitiatives than two years ago, but also see room for improvement.

"The Index 2010 reveals important progress, if only because manycompanies have shown far greater willingness to open up. The Index showsgreat improvements, especially in the areas of research and development, andequitable pricing. At the same time, it shows that the industry as a wholestill has a long way to go," said Wim Leereveld, the Index’s founder.

"The Access to Medicines Index independently assesses how individualpharmaceutical companies perform in promoting universal access to essentialmedicines, and is thus an important tool in improving performance," said DrCarissa Etienne, Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization(WHO).

The Access to Medicine Index ranks 20 of the world’s largest originatorpharmaceutical companies on their efforts to make sure that medicines aremade for, and reach, people in developing countries. The Index separatelyranks six global generic drug makers, reflecting their distinct role inproducing lower-cost drugs and vaccines.

The Index encourages drug companies to compete and offers investors andothers a way to compare their social responsibility records.

The generics ranking is led by Ranbaxy Laboratories followed by Cipla,Dr. Reddy’s and Mylan (all based in India).

The originator ranking is led by GlaxoSmithKline (U.K.), followed byMerck & Co. (U.S.), Novartis (Switzerland), Gilead Sciences (U.S.), andSanofi-Aventis (France). Six of the ten highest-ranking originator companiesare based in Europe.

Note to reporters: for more information or interview requests, see http://www.atmindex.org or contact Sue-Lane Wood at Tel: +31-62-888-8965, E-mail: slwood@atmindex.org
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