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Recent statements, initiatives, and studies from three of the largest producers of pharmaceuticals in the world confirm that pharmaceutical patent holders are taking steps to improve access to medicines in developing countries. GSK, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis all have publicly available information on their efforts to improve access to medicines. These efforts will be summarized in this article for reference.

GSK on Access to Medicines

GlaxoSmithKline is on the leading edge of providing access to medicines. Their programs range from making essential medicines more affordable to granting voluntary licenses to developing countries. Highlights of GSK’s programs to increase access to medicines include the following:

1. The Orange Card initiative in Lithuania covers the cost of medications for the poorest of Lithuania’s senior citizens. The program launched in July 2004 and by February 2005 more than 3,500 patients applied for the card and 107 pharmacies registered to participate.

2. GSK provides antiretroviral medications to fight AIDS at significantly reduced prices to developing countries.

3. In 2005 GSK devoted 14 development programs to find treatments for nine deadly diseases that plague the developing world.

4. In 2004, GSK helped provide access to medicines in the developing world by shipping 32.7 million Combivir tablets to developing countries.

Johnson & Johnson on Access to Medicine

Johnson & Johnson companies offer increased access to medicine in developing countries through a variety of efforts in multiple locations. These efforts range from providing AIDS/HIV medications to disaster relief programs in the United States and abroad. In the last two years over 320,000 patients have received care from Johnson & Johnson programs. The particular program that applies to United States patients is called Access2Wellness and provides access to apply to Johnson & Johnson aid programs.

Novartis on Access to Medicines

Novartis is committed to helping resolve the problem of limited access to medicines in developing countries. They want to approach the problem with an integrated, multi-pronged strategy. The first step is to acknowledge the complexity of the issue and realize that to tackle the access to medicine problem one must address it from multiple angles. Access to medicine is about having properly governed health care systems, working to alleviate poverty, and other societal issues. Novartis also advocates special pricing arrangements for the poorest countries to have access to medicines that will treat their populations without exposing patent holders to copyright infringement. This protection for intellectual property will come from the WTO’s TRIPS agreement, which Novartis strongly supports.