AMSTERDAM, June 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Generic drug makers in general are less transparent about programs to make medicines available to people in developing countries than originator companies in Europe and the United States. Overall, European drug companies are leading in this area, according to the second Access to Medicine Index released today.

Compared to 2008, when the first Index was published, many pharma companies worldwide gave more insight into their policies and actions to increase people's access to medicines in low-income countries, researchers said in a report underpinning the new Index. They identified more industry initiatives than two years ago, but also see room for improvement.

The Index 2010 reveals important progress, if only because many companies have shown far greater willingness to open up. The Index shows great improvements, especially in the areas of research and development, and equitable pricing. At the same time, it shows that the industry as a whole still has a long way to go, said Wim Leereveld, the Index's founder.

The Access to Medicines Index independently assesses how individual pharmaceutical companies perform in promoting universal access to essential medicines, and is thus an important tool in improving performance, said Dr Carissa Etienne, Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Access to Medicine Index ranks 20 of the world's largest originator pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to make sure that medicines are made for, and reach, people in developing countries. The Index separately ranks six global generic drug makers, reflecting their distinct role in producing lower-cost drugs and vaccines.

The Index encourages drug companies to compete and offers investors and others a way to compare their social responsibility records.

The generics ranking is led by Ranbaxy Laboratories, followed by Cipla (both based in India). Both were more open about their access to medicine efforts than the other generics companies. In general, generics makers have begun working towards products that better suit the needs of developing countries.

The originator ranking is led by GlaxoSmithKline (U.K.), followed by Merck Co. (U.S.), Novartis (Switzerland), Gilead Sciences (U.S.), and Sanofi-Aventis (France). Six of the ten highest-ranking originator companies are based in Europe.

SOURCE: Access to Medicine Index

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