AGI) London - European pharmaceutical companies are more virtuous than American ones when it comes to ensuring access to medicines even for people living in poor countries. The leader from this point of view is the British GlaxoSmithKline. This is what emerges from the ranking – the first of its kind – compiled by the Dutch foundation Access to Medicine. The ranking is based on eight criteria including company policies to increase the access of the poor to medicines, the production of new patents, research into rare diseases, the application of fair prices. The analysis found large differences between the large pharmaceutical companies: not all of them have adequate policies aimed at ensuring those living in low-income countries access to medicines and vaccines at advantageous prices. Second in the standings is the Danish Novo Nordisk, third is Merck & Co, the only American in the top seven. Novartis is fourth, followed in the top ten by Sanofi-Aventis, Astra-Zeneca, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Eli Lilly. The world's largest pharmaceutical group, Pfizer, is only 17th out of 20, surpassed by the Indian generic companies Ranbaxy Laboratories and Cipla. No Japanese pharmaceutical company entered the rankings. 'Europe is closer to Africa and has closer relations with this continent, but in general there is a sort of transatlantic divide on issues of social responsibility', says Wim Leereveld, director of the Access to Medicine Foundation.
Source" www.salute.agi.it "
