As you may recall, GSK's sustainability initiatives were just recognized in Newsweek's "2010 Green Ranking" as ranking fifth among the greenest companies in the world--so we're really excited today.
Because today our colleagues in Consumer Healthcare are shouting their commitment to renewable energy from the rooftops! They've begun installing what will be the largest rooftop solar array in North America at our Northeast Regional Distribution Center in York, PA.
Each October for the past 26 years, we've come together as a nation of patients, survivors, family and friends to increase awareness of breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The next step in awareness is to understand what rights women do or should have when it comes to their breast health. This year, we've taken steps to outline those clearly with a new Breast Cancer Bill of Rights--a clear, straightforward platform for engaging activists and challenging decision makers.
Thirty years ago, I promised my dying sister Suzy that I would do everything in my power to end breast cancer forever. The Breast Cancer Bill of Rights is the next step in extending that promise to all women.
We believe this is a perfect time to focus our energies in this way. This year's health reform law in the U.S. included several patient protections that marked a significant step in the right direction--enhanced access to mammography, protection for people with pre-existing conditions, and so forth. But the reality is, even after 2014, when the patient protections are fully phased in, there still will be significant gaps in access to breast health services and issues of quality of care.
As far as breast cancer survivors and advocates are concerned, health reform was just a first step and not the end of the road. For example, we believe all women should have access to breast screening tools that may save her life. Women age 40 and older who are enrolled in either Medicare or newly-issued health plans now have access to an annual screening mammogram--with no additional cost.
Yet the benefit isn't guaranteed to women in health plans established prior to September 23. For at least the next several years, underserved women will continue to rely on a patchwork of state-based safety net programs that are threatened by budget cuts due to the struggling economy.
And while mammography is currently the best screening tool available, it is far from perfect and not effective for some women, particularly those with dense breasts--so we will continue to press for the development of better technologies and for access to additional screening tools as recommended.
The Breast Cancer Bill of Rights outlines our promise to the women we serve. Among other things, we promise to fight for a woman's right to:
· Access breast cancer screening tools that may save her life.
· Fight breast cancer without fear of bankruptcy.
· Own affordable, quality health insurance.
· Obtain timely diagnosis and treatment.
· Receive high quality care, no matter where she seeks medical services.
It's not acceptable when any woman is denied screening that may save her life, or has to worry about anything other than survival. We promise to keep pushing until the gaps in health care are filled once and for all. That's our promise. Now, what will you promise?
Nancy Brinker is a guest blogger. She is the founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In 2010, GSK provided funding to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
One of GSK's goals is to be the "greenest pharmaceutical company"--and we're well on our way!
This week, GSK was ranked fifth out of 100 global companies in Newsweek's Green Rankings. We achieved a green score of 94.18 out of 100. This is based on how well GSK scored in three areas: Environmental Impact, Green Policies and the Reputation Survey. These three areas are weighted at 45%, 45%, and 10% respectively.
According to Newsweek, the target was to assess each company's actual environmental footprint and management of that footprint (including policies and strategies), along with its reputation among environmental experts. Described another way, they wanted to cut through the green chatter to quantify the actual environmental footprints, policies, and reputations of these big businesses, to create the most comprehensive rankings available.
Sustainability means doing things that help ensure the future of GSK's communities and its business, delivering more medicines and products of value.
How the Newsweek Scores Were Calculated
The environmental impact score (EIS) measures the total environmental impact of a corporation's global operations (90%) and disclosure of those impacts (10%). Over 700 metrics--including emissions of nine key greenhouse gases, water use, solid-waste disposal, and emissions that contribute to acid rain and smog--figure into the EIS.
The green policies score assess how a company manages its environmental footprint. More than 70 individual indicators are incorporated into the Green Policies Score, categorized into the following five issues: climate change policies and performance; pollution policies and performance; product impact; environmental stewardship; and management of environmental issues.
The reputation survey score is based on an opinion survey of corporate social-responsibility professionals, academics and other environmental experts who subscribe to CorporateRegister.com. The survey asked for ratings on a random sample of 15 companies on a sliding scale (100 to one) from "leader" to "laggard" in three key green areas: environmental performance, commitment and communication.
As a large company, we're always looking for ways to decrease our power consumption. But we can also do it on a personal level. How many times have you walked away from your desk without thinking think twice about whether your personal computer and monitor were still on?
As you can imagine, these devices still use power even while sitting idle. Not too long ago, I didn't make it a priority to turn off my computer and didn't think twice about the energy being wasted by leaving it on. One day a few months ago, I noticed that my laptop continued to stay on even when I left it idle overnight. My computer was not powering off because the power management settings allowed it to consume the same amount of power when I wasn't using it as when it was actually being used.
Fortunately, automated features can minimize your computer's power consumption when it is idle.
Following an internal innovation challenge, I proposed a more aggressive change to our GSK PC Power Management policy. It has now been two months since we've updated the majority of GSK PCs (over 94,000) with these new power settings and there's been a positive impact on our consumption and--by extension--the environment as a result.
Less power used translates into fewer CO2 emissions distributed into the atmosphere. According to our estimates, this simple power management change will result in a reduction of 5,300 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually (equal to taking 1,012 cars off the road every year) and just under $1 million in financial savings. Each of us can do our own part to work more efficiently to save money and imprmicove environmental sustainability.
We're proud that our efforts have gotten some recognition--and hopefully will help others follow a similar path. Steve Ryan, a manager with the EPA's Energy Star Program describes our efforts:
GSK's PC power management initiative is impressive on several fronts. By automatically configuring close to a hundred thousand PCs to enter sleep mode when inactive, they are saving nearly $1 million annual in electricity. They are also demonstrating-in a very concrete way-GSK's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and driving internal efficiencies. Additionally, it's worth noting that they accomplished all of this by deploying a free utility in Windows XP.
You hear it all the time--do what you can for the environment: turn off lights, unplug appliances, conserve water, etc. Changing your PC's power settings at home can also maximize your own efficiency. In addition to lowering your impact on the environment you're saving on your electric bill too!
Changing your PC Power Management settings is quick and easy, just click the links below for instructions: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Our colleagues on the Operational Sustainability Team within the Sustainability and Environment Centre of Excellence have been recognized by the Sustainable Engineering Forum (SEF) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers with the Industrial Practice Award in Sustainable Engineering.
The award is granted to companies that have made outstanding contributions over a long-term basis pertinent to sustainable engineering development. The award reflects GSK's continued contributions to the development, implementation and dissemination of sustainable engineering practice in the chemical process industry.
The specific program recognized is GSK's Eco-Design Toolkit, a first-in-its-class set of tools to design safer, greener and more efficient pharmaceutical processes by minimizing their environmental footprint. This toolkit allows GSK's scientists and engineers to estimate the environmental footprint of our manufacturing materials so it can be reduced, identify hazardous materials that need to be eliminated, select materials with least environmental concern and design greener packaging. Our Director of Operational Sustainability said that "the Eco-Design Toolkit represents a team effort throughout several years to design greener, more sustainable processes." This also supports GSK's sustainability principles of improvements in mass efficiency, water, climate change and packaging.
For more information click here.
A new report published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the significant achievements that have been made over the past twenty years to improve public health in the developing world. Better sanitation and mass immunization programs led to significant improvements in life-expectancy. The number of children dying before their fifth birthday is falling. There are now more than 5 million people in developing countries receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS.
Additionally, collaboration between the public and private sector is ensuring that available treatments are distributed to those in need. We are particularly proud of our involvement over the past decade in the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF). LF is a chronic disease that causes debilitating damage to the lymphatic system, kidneys, arms, legs and genitals.
However, the WHO report also sheds light on how much more needs to be done. Seventeen chronic, disabling infections - the neglected tropical diseases - continue to afflict the world's poorest populations with poverty and disadvantage.
In particular, soil transmitted helminths (known as STH or intestinal worms) affect more than 1.2 billion people worldwide, including 300 million in Africa. For children between the ages of 5 and 14 in low-income countries, infection with intestinal worms is the single largest cause of disease - contributing to malnutrition, slow growth and development. Lack of access to safe water and proper sanitation are the main factors in the persistence and prevalence of these diseases.
Effective and safe medicines exist to treat the most common infection in children. In fact, WHO recommends annual treatment of all children aged 1-15 in STH endemic areas with a single dose albendazole or mebendazole. However, currently only around 10% of the people who could benefit from treatment receive it. This is unacceptable.
Today, we announced a significant increase in our donation of albendazole, a GSK medicine. GSK will increase production capacity of albendazole through new investments in its factories in South Africa and India in order to provide an additional 400 million treatments of albendazole per year. This commitment, combined with existing de-worming programs, will enable the countries to scale-up their efforts to achieve universal coverage for all school age children in Africa.
Additionally, with this donation GSK will seek to create a broader coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors and endemic countries to ensure a fully integrated approach. Together, we can break the cycle of sickness and poverty in the developing world.
Photo courtesy of WHO.
Today we launched HealthCoach4Me™, an interactive consumer health-coaching website. HealthCoach4Me.com is designed for people who want to take charge of their health, but need help with setting, tracking and reaching personal health goals using small, manageable steps. The website combines novel interactive coaching tools with educational resources to encourage them and help them track their progress in achieving their goals.
"Our goal is to provide tools to help patients achieve better overall health outcomes," said Mark Johnson, vice president, GlaxoSmithKline. "While excellent health coaching tools are offered for specialty areas like smoking cessation or weight management, we believe that HealthCoach4Me takes care management to the next level and enables people to work on a broader set of personal health goals."
Check it out: www.healthcoach4me.com
PULSE, GSK's volunteering partnership program, recently welcomed back to the business the last volunteer from the 2009 cycle. This occasion is the perfect opportunity to reflect on PULSE's successful impact on leadership development within GSK.
Since its launch in 2009, PULSE has welcomed back 58 volunteers who worked with 25 non-profit organizations in 18 different countries. Almost half (42 %) of these volunteers have been promoted or returned to a different job at GSK.
As the program enters its third cycle, the program team reflected on how the volunteers have developed as leaders, as well as the impact the volunteer's newfound skills have had on their respective departments post-PULSE.
Assistant brand manager, Manu, volunteered for AmeriCares in Mumbai, India last year for 3 months. Manu's line manager Shubhajit says: "I am delighted to have an engaged manager who has transformed into an effective leader--a transformation so rapid and wide-ranging that even the best of training interventions may not be able to match! Fantastic! This experience has propelled me to encourage others to join PULSE. Indeed, another of my managers, Rasneet has been selected for this year's PULSE program and is currently in the thick of her engagement."
PULSE has provided our employees with the flexibility, adaptability, resilience and renewed energy that not only allows them to thrive, but also to lead now that they have re-entered into at GSK.
Narissa, a scientist in the Antibacterial DPU stepped out of the lab to embark on an assignment in Kisumu, Western Kenya. She used her practical knowledge to develop protocols and research methods for The OGRA Foundation's public health research project to improve child survival of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
"I realized from my relationships in Africa that suggestions for change are not enough. A proposal, delegation, measurable endpoints, timelines and stated value to the organization (as well as the team) are crucial," says Nerissa.
According to a survey conducted on returning 2009 volunteers, the PULSE program exceeded the expectations of over two-thirds of non-profit managers and re-energized individuals, improved their performance, and inspired new ideas on what GSK can be doing differently.
Sharon, returned with thoughts of "infusing the same sense of liberation and empowerment" that she experienced while on PULSE assignment back into her team. "I look at approaches to achieving objectives differently now. Ideas can come from unexpected sources...outside my work environment." PULSE volunteers are seeing and seizing the opportunity to "be the change" at GSK.
Recently, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) hosted their annual leadership summit where hundreds of survivors, patients, and caregivers stormed Capitol Hill to speak with their Members of Congress about important issues affecting the cancer community. More than 600 ACS CAN cancer advocate volunteers asked their U.S. Senate and House members to increase federal funding for cancer research and to support cancer control programs. In addition, these volunteer advocates attended valuable training sessions on how to effectively conduct a visit with their congressional office and how to be an effective cancer advocate in their own communities.
As corporate members, representatives from GSK were given the opportunity to witness the presentation of ACS CAN's National Distinguished Advocacy Award. This year's award recipients were Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D). The National Distinguished Advocacy Award is ACS CAN's most prestigious advocacy honor and is awarded for leadership in the fight against cancer. In addition, corporate members were also recognized at the award reception and given the opportunity to thank ACS CAN for our continued partnership and shared commitment to helping patients and families affected by cancer.
GSK has been a corporate champion of ACS CAN since 2008. We've long supported the mission and goals of the American Cancer Society, and we value our new partnership with its sister-advocacy organization. Our partnership to date with ACS CAN has been seen in state legislative efforts to support and enact oral chemotherapy parity legislation which essentially requires state health plans to equalize patient out-of-pocket responsibilities for intravenous and oral chemotherapy agents. In addition, GSK has partnered with ACS CAN on initiatives related to the implementation of healthcare reform and state smoke-free legislation.
We look forward to continued involvement with ACS CAN and to future partnerships in working together on issues that affect cancer patients and their families.
GSK recently supported the launch of a new web site: Pool for Open Innovation against Neglected Tropical Diseases (POINT).
In 2009, at Harvard Medical School, our CEO, Andrew Witty, spoke about how GSK would work to make medicines more available to those in the developing world. He committed to creating the Pool for Open Innovation as a key part of our promise to open innovation in the search for new treatments for neglected tropical diseases. The Pool is designed to open up access to the compounds, technologies, and expertise that could help organizations conduct research on treatments for neglected diseases more efficiently and effectively.
The Pool is administered by BIO Ventures for Global Health and supported by founding contributors GSK and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. The Pool has continued to grow since its inception, with prestigious participants including the Emory Institute of Drug Discovery, iThemba Pharmaceuticals, and South Africa's Technology Innovation Agency, who have joined in order to access information in the pool to support their neglected tropical disease research. Additional contributors to the pool include Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of California Berkeley, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Read Andrew Witty's speech at the Council of Foreign Relations, a follow-up to the 2009 Harvard speech that provides further details in how GSK is seeking to make its contribution to global healthcare issues.
