Fuck yeah! :)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/glaxo-smith-kline-cheap-medicine

i have renew confident in GSK....

Wow! Could be a pivotal moment in the history of healthcare. Fingers crossed...

Wow! Could be a pivotal moment in the history of healthcare. Fingers crossed...

Fingers crossed here too.

Cut its prices for all drugs in the 50 least developed countries to no more than 25% of the levels in the UK and US – and less if possible – and make drugs more affordable in middle-*income countries such as Brazil and India.

while the cynic in me says the drugs prices in these two countries will probably go up above the already overinflated prices.

The patents on most of the drugs that are of use to developing countries are expired or close to expiry. The acid test will be whether they actually start to put a significant amount of money into research on drugs for diseases other than stomach ulcers and erectile dysfunction.

The patents on most of the drugs that are of use to developing countries are expired or close to expiry. The acid test will be whether they actually start to put a significant amount of money into research on drugs for diseases other than stomach ulcers and erectile dysfunction.

?? So any drug developed in the past 25 years is irrelevant to the poorer nations?

?? So any drug developed in the past 25 years is irrelevant to the poorer nations?

Did I say that?

aye

The acid test will be whether they actually start to put a significant amount of money into research on drugs for diseases other than stomach ulcers and erectile dysfunction.

New director bloke said that GSK will:

"Put any chemicals or processes over which it has intellectual property rights that are relevant to finding drugs for neglected diseases into a "patent pool", so they can be explored by other researchers."

Great news.

aye

Nay, I didnae.

Historically, big pharma has invested massively, disproportionately, into drug discovery for western diseases, and what they call the lifestyle segment. These drugs don't optimise health gain in developing countries. Obviously some of the drugs they have developed are of relevance, HIV medicine in particular, which is the point of GSK's announcement. But if you look at where the R&D money has gone, it has gone into western disease drug discovery.

There has been some noise recently about this starting to change, but I wonder whether this is just spin: it's too soon to know.

I was hoping it was a radical new anti-balding medicine.

Here's some of the spin:

http://www.expresspharmaonline.com/20080415/market01.shtml

this is brilliantly refreshing. as long as it is carried through effectively. Just the kind of optimism and compassion that the world needs at the moment. Thanks for bringing that to my attention Tynan.

Well done GSK, lets hope others follow suit and get some government backing.

Ecce homo:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7586090.stm

Seems like a decent bloke, came across very well in that interview.

The drugs don't work. Only God can heal. Peace.