Big Pharma doing more for access to medicine in developing countries than two years ago

The latest Access to Medicine Index, which ranks the top 20 pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to improve access to medicine in developing countries, finds that the industry is doing more than it was two years ago, with UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) still outperforming its peers, but an expanding group of leaders closing the gap.

The Index, published Wednesday, found that US health care major Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was one of the most dramatic risers, climbing from the middle of the field in ninth position in the 2010 Index to second this year, closely behind GSK. It is one of two newcomers to the top three. Its rise is due largely to its consolidation of its access activities under one business unit, which has resulted in a more strategic and integrated approach, and to its acquisition of vaccine maker Crucell, which has increased the relevance of its research and development investments. It has also disclosed more overall about its access activities.

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