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Article

13 Feb 2009

Author:
Sarah Boseley, Guardian [UK]

Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline pledges cheap medicine for world's poor

The world's second biggest pharmaceutical company is to radically shift its attitude to providing cheap drugs to millions of people in the developing world. In a major change of strategy, the new head of GlaxoSmithKline, Andrew Witty, has [said] he will slash prices on all medicines in the poorest countries, give back profits to be spent on hospitals and clinics and – most ground-breaking of all – share knowledge about potential drugs that are currently protected by patents...He challenges other pharmaceutical giants to follow his lead...Campaigners gave a cautious welcome to GSK's strategy. But Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières both said the company should go further and include HIV drugs in the patent pool...

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