Research, Reports & Publications

GSK Publishes its 2013 Corporate Responsibility Report

Mar 19, 2014 11:15 AM ET

View the 2013 report here

“Over the past six years we have been making fundamental changes to deliver innovation and access to our products for patients and customers and improved sustainable financial performance for our shareholders. We continue to take action to reform our business model to meet the expectations of society and deliver our mission, in line with our values."

Sir Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer, GSK

Executive Summary

GSK’s Corporate Responsibility Report provides a review of how GSK operates its business responsibly. It shows how the company is adapting its business model to better meet the expectations of society and pursuing a strategy that delivers sustainable performance through innovation and expanding access, driven by values.

In 2013, GSK continued to adopt industry-leading positions on a range of issues including; increasing the transparency of the company's clinical research data, and modernizing its commercial operations and interactions with customers. The company also made progress on driving access to medicines in the poorest countries and passed a key milestone in the development of a potential vaccine against malaria.

Last year, GSK developed 23 forward-looking commitments across four areas of focus: Health for all; Our behaviour; Our people; Our planet. The commitments aim to address unmet global health needs and are aligned with the company's strategic priorities and values. In this year’s Corporate Responsibility Report GSK provides progress updates against these for the first time.

Report highlights

  • Invested 20% of the profits we made in Least Developed Countries, $8m in 2013, into training frontline community healthcare workers and improving access to healthcare in these countries.
  • Achieved a major milestone in the development of its malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, which demonstrated that over 18 months of follow-up it almost halved the number of malaria cases in young children.
  • Formed an innovative new partnership with Save the Children to combine our expertise, resources and capabilities to help save the lives of one million children.
  • Announced plans to evolve the way it sells and markets products to healthcare professionals to further align the company’s activities with the interests of patients.
  • Became the first pharmaceutical company to enable external researchers to access detailed anonymised patient-level data from clinical trials through a new online system.
  • Continued to make values-based conduct of employees a priority and committed to take all necessary action following the outcome of the investigation by the Chinese authorities into allegations of fraudulent behaviour.
  • Began the roll out of preventive healthcare benefits for employees through the ‘Partnership for Prevention’ program.
  • Launched a new performance management system to better link employee reward with company values.
  • Was the only healthcare company to be included in the CDP Performance Leadership Index and the CDP Disclosure Leadership Index in 2013.
  • Became the first company to be awarded global certification to the Carbon Trust’s Water Standard in recognition of year-on-year reductions in operational water use globally.