Global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has welcomed the publication of the third Access to Medicine (ATM) Index, which measures the performance of top 20 pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to improve access to medicine and healthcare in developing countries. GSK has been ranked top of the Index in 2012 for the third time of publishing, scoring highest in four categories including general access to medicine management, research and development activity, capability advancement and drug donation and philanthropy. “In Ghana and across the continent, GSK is committed to finding new and innovative ways to ensure access to medicine,” said Country Manager Menu Otuo. “We are collaborating with governments, NGOs and other private-sector companies to improve people’s health and well-being no matter where they live, while continuing to expand our business and invest in research.” Over the past five years, GSK has made fundamental changes to its business model including re-investing 20 per cent of all profits in the least developed countries to help communities strengthen their local health infrastructure. The Access to Medicine Index is a major initiative of the Access to Medicine Foundation, an international not-for-profit organisation, established in 2004 and dedicated to improving access to medicine. The index ranks individual pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to enhance global access to medicine across seven categories: drug donation and philanthropy, capability advancement, patents and licensing, equitable pricing, research and development, public policy, and general access to medicine management. The Index – the first of which was published in 2008, followed by a second in 2010 – provides an overall ranking of 20 pharmaceutical companies who are measured across a range of strategic and technical areas. It also analyses industry trends in commitments, transparency, performance and innovation. GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com