- Created out of the merger between GlaxoWellcome and SmithKline Beecham in 2000, GSK is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical research companies.
- Something of a hulking beast but very well diversified by product and globally - it has a broad pipeline of drugs under development and is having success in India and China. This should help to handle pricing pressure on drugs due to payers cutting costs via generic competition.
- Slightly odd to find its consumer division with household products such as Lucozade, Horlicks and Aquafresh. Hard to see this as core?
- drugmaker said it was withdrawing its Lapdap malaria drug from the market and stopping development of a second experimental compound, Dacart, following adverse side-effects in clinical trials.
- Issued a shock profit warning back in February, blaming safety concerns over its Avandia diabetes pill (which was its second biggest selling product until it was linked last year to a significantly increased risk of heart attack) and increases in competition from generic drugs.
- However, it seems to be back on track and recently announced European clearance for its new flu drug Prepandarix, the vaccine against the deadly H5N1 strain which could inoculate whole populations and provide protection against different mutations.
- Jury is still out on Andrew Witty, who replaced Jean-Pierre Garnier in April
- Undertaking restructuring program, which aims to save as much as $1.4 billion annually over three years. Witty has pledged to boost GSK's investment in new drugs discovered outside the company. http://www.newsobserver.com/print/wednesday/business/story/1103622.html
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