Gsk backs patent pool for neglected diseases

Gsk backs patent pool for neglected diseases

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Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will share the patented knowledge it uses to develop medicines for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) — including malaria and tuberculosis — with other drugs companies, governments and non-governmental organizations. Andrew Witty, GSK's chief executive, proposed the voluntary 'patent pool' in a 12 February speech, and called on other drugs firms to open up access to intellectual property relevant to NTDs. Starting this year, Witty announced, GSK will also cap its prices for patented medicines in poor countries at 25% of what it charges in developed countries. It will also reinvest 20% of the profit it makes from selling medicines in poor nations into health-care infrastructure projects in those countries. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE GSK backs patent pool for neglected diseases. _Nature_ 457, 949 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/457949e Download citation * Published: 18 February 2009 * Issue Date: 19 February 2009 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/457949e SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will share the patented knowledge it uses to develop medicines for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) — including malaria and tuberculosis — with


other drugs companies, governments and non-governmental organizations. Andrew Witty, GSK's chief executive, proposed the voluntary 'patent pool' in a 12 February speech, and


called on other drugs firms to open up access to intellectual property relevant to NTDs. Starting this year, Witty announced, GSK will also cap its prices for patented medicines in poor


countries at 25% of what it charges in developed countries. It will also reinvest 20% of the profit it makes from selling medicines in poor nations into health-care infrastructure projects


in those countries. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE GSK backs patent pool for neglected diseases. _Nature_ 457, 949 (2009).


https://doi.org/10.1038/457949e Download citation * Published: 18 February 2009 * Issue Date: 19 February 2009 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/457949e SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the


following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer


Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative