According to the Financial Times, Glaxo donates the most medication to the poor. Merck was in second place and Novartis in third place. The article noted that most Eurpoean companies ranked above their US-based peers. In 11th (last) place was the only Japanese company listed- Daiichi Sanyko.
One advantage cited in the article to donating medications is positioning a company to succeed in emerging markets. As noted earlier this year in BioPharma Pulse, emerging markets are the expected growth areas for the future. Pharma companies may want to consider their overall profile in emerging markets and identify ways to raise their profile. These tactics will likely vary by country as marketing has moved to increased personalization and away from one-sized fits all. Increasing donations may not only raise a company’s profile, but also strengthen the humanity of the donors as well as alleviate suffering.
