GlaxoSmithKline has come top of a league table that monitors the availability of medicine in developing countries, with fellow UK drugmaker AstraZeneca making it into the top 10.

The non-profit Access to Medicine foundation, which compiles the biennial index of drug companies, warned that while the availability of medicines is improving, the industry needs to do more on affordable pricing and the fight against corruption. Jayasree Iyer, executive director of the foundation, said: “Now is the time to step up those efforts.”

Overall, drugmakers have 850 products on the market for the 51 worst diseases in low and middle-income countries. They are developing another 420. But only 5% of products are covered by pricing strategies that were deemed affordable for different population groups within countries.

Iyer said there was no area where drugmakers had gone backwards, but noted that affordable pricing and misconduct were “static”. Breaches of laws or codes relating to corruption, unethical marketing and anti-competitive behaviour continue to arise.

GSK came first in the rankings for the fifth time, followed by Johnson & Johnson of the US, Swiss company Novartis and German group Merck. AstraZeneca jumped from 15th to seventh position after introducing a new affordability-based pricing strategy and expanding its Healthy Heart Africa programme, which aims to treat 10 million people for hypertension, or high blood pressure, over the next decade. The company was in sixth place in 2008 but then fell behind in several areas.

Access to Medicine Index. Photograph: Access to Medicine Foundation

GSK accounted for the most research and development projects in areas of great need but with low commercial incentive, followed by AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson. The British drugmaker also topped the index for considering affordability when setting prices. Its top ranking came despite a damaging bribery scandal in China in 2014, for which it was fined £300m. The scandal prompted the company to overhaul its sales practices.

Iyer expressed some concern about GSK chief executive Sir Andrew Witty’s departure next March and what it could mean for the company’s efforts. He will be succeeded by Emma Walmsley, who currently runs GSK’s consumer healthcare business.

The index assesses the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical companies on a range of measures, including their willingness to discount prices in poor countries, research on neglected tropical diseases, lobbying, patent policies, breaches of codes of conduct, corruption or bribery, transparency and conduct in clinical trials.



The Access to Medicine foundation is funded by the UK and Dutch governments and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It says its framework is used by companies to draw up access to medicine strategies.