5.b. case study GSK

intro

GlaxoSMithKline is a major pharmaceutical company HQ in the uk. 2013- company’s turnover was £23 bil. its operations are global, with 84 manufacturing sites in 36 different countries and large research and development (R&D) centres in the UK, USA, Spain, Belgium and China. pharmecuticals, including medicines for a range of acute and chronic diseases, account for 2/3 of GSK’s turnover. the rest is from consumer health care products

scientific breakthroughs made- general

GSK’s vaccines business is one of the largesr in the world. 2024- distribution over 800 mil doses of vaccine, of which 80% were to countries in the developing world. other important areas of operation include medications for type 2 diabetes, bacterial infection and oncology. it has produced a number of well known medications such as amoxicillin to fight bacteriak infections, zidovudine for HIV infection and bendazole to combat parasitic infections. these drugs and others are on WHO’s list of essential medicines

patents- general

a feature of international pharmaceutical companies is their huge investment in R&D. GSK employs 13,000 people in R&D and spends more than £3 bil a year researching new medicines. R&D is usually undertaken in partnership with othr companies, unis and research charities. GSK is one of the few healthcare companies currently researching treatments for WHO’s 3 priority diseases: HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB

for GSK the patents give the company exclusive rights to make and sell a new medicine or vaccine for a period of time, protecting its investment in R&D because patents ensure competitors cant copy a new product immediately. they have taken steps to share its intellectual property to encourage global R&D, such as joining open innovation partnerships where it contributes patents to research into neglected diseases

drug manufacturing- general

developing and testing new drugs is a long and costly process and subject to a high failure rate. in part this explains why many drugs are so expensive. a problem GSK and other pharmaceutical transnationals face is that the demand for new drugs in LIDCs ehose economies are weak, is often too small to recoup development costs. yet drugs are urgently needed in these countries and coud bring huge benefits. despite the problems, GSK devotes significanr R&D resources to the needs of the developing world. for example, its research centre in spain focuses primarily on TB, malaria and other tropical diseases and the company is currently close to launching the first effective vaccine against malaria. it is also developing a vaccine for ebola. although the profit motive is the driver of all transnationals, the company has adopted an ethical policy towards the developing world including: a commitment to a small return 5% on each product sold; providing 3 HIV/AIDs drugs to LIDCs at significant discount; granting licences for the manufacture of cheap generic versions of its patented drugs; capping the price of patented drugs to developing countries to 25% of UK price; investing 20% of its profits from sales in each developing country into that country’s health infrastructure

global flows for distribution- general

GSK has built a global supply chain network medicines and vaccines manufacturing sites- 37 integrated sites that produce and deliver 100s of mils of doses and bils of medicine packs each year to patients worldwide. this supply chain is critical for producing, storing and transporting products reliably and ensuring quality before distribution to different regions. GSK distributes its products to over 150 countries worldwide reaching diverse markets across europe, north/latin america, asia, africa. multiple distribution channels are used such as wholesalers, direct sale forces, pharmacies, hospital networks. vaccines have been supplied in the billions; this helps vulnerable populations in LIDCs

scientific breakthroughs- HIV

GSK’s specialist HIV company ViiV healthcare is a world leader in next generation HIV treatment and prevention, aiming to reduce the impact of HIV globally. data show that long acting injectable therapies from ViiV are highly effective- with implementation studies reportung 0 new HIV cases in study groups using apretude (first long acting injectable pre exposure prophylaxi medication) and high real world treatment effectiveness with Cabenuva (first long acting injectable prescription regimen for HIV-1 in virologically suppressed adults and adolescents with no history of treatment failure or resistance) across 1000s of people. GSK is also developing ultra long acting treatment options that maintain viral suppression in a high % of adults living with HIV and could be dosed as infrequently as every 4 months.

patents- HIV

ViiV’s innovative long acting HIV treatments like apretude and cabenuva are protected by patents, enabling GSK to invest in extensive clinical research and regulatory approval processes before generic competitors can enter major markets. patents on these novel formulations help secure exclusive rights globally to sell these treatments, which supports the long term development and distribution of next generation HIV medicines

drug manufacturing- HIV

HIV treatments and prevention products are produced through GSK’s specialised manufacturing facilities and partneers, ensuring that long acting injectable medicines are developed to regulatory standards and stored/distributed safely for global use

global flows for distribution- HIV

GSK is planning to expand annual supply of long acting HIV PrEP to at least 2 mil doses for LIDCs in 2025-2026, helping address unmet needs where HIV burden is greatest. these products are distributed internationally to regions with high HIV prevalence, including coordinated efforts with global partners and procurement mechanisms that serve developing countries as well as high income markets

scientific breakthroughs- oncology

GSK’s oncology programme focuses on developing targeted therapies for blood cancers, gynaecologic cancers and immune oncology approaches that help the immune system recognise and kill cancer cells. GSK presents new clinical data at major oncology conferences on cancer drugs such as belantamab mafodotin combinations and other that coukd improve suvival and outcomes for patients with difficult to treat cancers

patents- oncology

GSK holds patents on many of its oncology medicines and investigational cancer therapies. these patents protect the intellectual property behind advanced treatments like antibdy drug conjugates and immune oncology agents, enabling the company to invest in long term clinical development and maximise global availability of new cancer treatments

drug manufacturing- oncology

oncology drugs are manufactured in high specialised facilities that follow strcit quality standards, ensuring consistent production of complex therapies that may involve targeted moelcules

global flows for distribution- oncology

onca approved GSK’s oncology medicines are distribured to health systems worldwide, including through regulatory approvals in multiple countries and presentations to global medical communities. GSK’s cancer drugs reach hositpals, oncology clinics and healthcare providers intentionally, supporting treatment programmes from high income health systems to emerging markets as regulatory approvals expand