Daily Click: GSK response on the “Right to Health”

In a recent response to a report prepared by Paul Hunt, former UN Special Rapporteur, the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has argued that the responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies with respect to the “right to health” is not clearly defined. GSK further comments that its current initiatives, such research and development programmes which target diseases of the developing world, and preferential pricing for low-income countries, do not constitute commitments required by international legal norms. GSK’s response is accessible here. Paul Hunt’s report can be downloaded at http://www.reports-and-materials.org/Paul-Hunt-report-on-GSK-5-May-2009.pdf.