GlaxoSmithKline And Developing Country Access To Essential Medicines

In the last years, the concept CSR, Social Corporate Responsibility has become increasingly important. This concept covers a wide range of activities within and outside a business, such as health, Safety, Community involvement, Stakeholder dialogue, etc. It not only covers the operations’ activity, but also the activities that goes beyond the regular companies operations.

In the pharmaceutical industry a lot of activities are covered by the CSR model such as: donation programs, improving access to medicines in developing countries, etc. Because of the CSR, people tend to held the pharmaceutical industry responsible, because the expectations went up the last couple of years. It is hard to say that the pharmaceutical industry should be held responsible for aid and healthcare issues in developing countries, because there are a lot of problems to cover up in developing countries.

- Pricing

The pricing part is where companies can do most to solve the healthcare issues in developing countries. The high prices of medicine hinder developing countries to provide effective healthcare. The long-term health in poor countries could improve by lowering the price of medicine. Although selective price reductions can bring limited increases in access. It will discourage long-term health planning in developing countries because there are no guarantees that the current price offers will continue in the future.

- Patents

Patent protection create market conditions which will help pharmaceutical companies to incentives for future research and recoup their research and development. This system of patent protection in industrialized countries has evolved and requires high levels of economic and scientific development. In poor countries, where the levels of economic and scientific development are significantly lower, is the advanced patent system inappropriate.

- Appropriate use of medicines

In development countries not all the medicines are used right. The reason for this is mostly a lack of information about the medicines, or prejudiced information. This can result to little clinical benefit of medicine or some medicine are not safe to use for a specific group of patients. Inappropriate use of medicines is a particular problem in developing countries. The laws and regulations concerning the use of drugs are very weak.

These are one of the big problems within a development country. It is also a big problem for the pharmaceutical industry. These problems are not easily solved and takes time. It is not likely that the price for medicine will fall, because these businesses are still profit organizations. Also the patent system is not in the advantage of development countries, and that is not easily changed. You can’t blame the pharmaceutical industry for this, there are too many factors that is not in the hands of the industry. Companies like GSK can’t change the law and regulations in developing

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