GSK CEO Andrew Witty recently wrote a forward-looking essay focusing on the future of the pharmaceutical industry for 2011 and beyond. The essay was published in The Economist's annual 'global agenda setting' publication, titled The World in 2011.
Andrew calls on the pharmaceutical industry to do more with less thereby addressing the question of how the industry can continue to innovate while operating in a challenging environment.
Today is World COPD Day--a day to raise awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. What is COPD? What does it mean to have COPD? COPD is a term used to describe chronic lung diseases that can limit your airflow and compromise your lung function. COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. If you are living with COPD then you may be experiencing common day-to-day COPD symptoms include a cough, coughing up mucus or phlegm, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. Over time, some patients with COPD suffer from shortness of breath so severe that it interferes with their most basic daily activities including sleeping, talking, and even dressing.
There's no denying that COPD is a serious disease. In recent in-home research conducted by GSK, patients with COPD described that their disease progression leads to physical and social isolation. They also revealed that they perceive their disease as both a burden they must deal with and a loss they have experienced. They characterized the loss as a combination of factors including loss of energy, loss of control, loss of independence and loss of their old self.
Hearing you have COPD can be incredibly tough, and there is no cure. But it's far from a helpless situation. Start right now by working with your doctor to learn ways to improve your breathing, stay more active, and slow the progression of the disease. If you have COPD, it is important to find out the facts from your doctor to know that you don't have to settle for a life defined by the disease. While some people view a life with COPD solely in terms of limitations, others see possibilities. Living with COPD certainly presents challenges, but many things are still firmly within your control. You'll still be able to make decisions--some big, some small--as you shape the kind of life you want to live with COPD.
As the disease progresses, research participants report they've become more reliant on the Internet as a source of important information on how to help manage their illness and as a means to interact with other people who can share in their experiences. With more information about their disease, people with COPD feel better able to manage it.
For the 12 million individuals diagnosed with COPD in the United States, www.copd.com offers easily accessible online destination to help inform them on their disease and its different stages and offer them things to consider that may help them live with COPD. For caregivers, www.copd.com offers information on how to care for a loved one with COPD.
World COPD Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to improve awareness and care of COPD around the world.
www.copd.com is a website by GlaxoSmithKline.
In my Community Partnerships role at GSK, I'm privileged to be part of many wonderful, impactful activities. And there's one in particular that I'd like to tell you about, as it hits very close to home.
About a year ago, a number of Durham, NC community leaders representing business, government and education gathered to launch the East Durham Children's Initiative, a program funded in part by GSK, to help keep disadvantaged kids in our community from falling through the cracks of the education system. The positive impact of this program can't come to our community too soon.
East Durham is a one-square mile area that is home for a population largely composed of underprivileged African American and Hispanic families. In many of this area's elementary, middle and high schools, reading and math scores fall well below state averages.
Attendance, grades and earned credits are also low. For too many students, graduation day never comes. Even worse, some later lack the means to earn wages needed to sustain themselves or their families. Obviously, Durham is no exception. This is a situation that repeats itself in every major city in the U.S.
While we've supported improving public schools for the past 20 years, the East Durham Children's Initiative is a chance to do something--via a very holistic approach--about a situation in our own backyard.
The Initiative is modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, a successful program that captured the attention of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2007. This near-legendary program serves 8,000 children and 6,000 adults with pre-school programs, parenting workshops, health management initiatives and high-quality public charter schools.
Here at home, the East Durham Children's Initiative is beginning to have the same kind of impact. For example, its "Parent U" program is giving parents of newborns the skills to enhance infant care, health, safety and development. A special tutoring program held twice yearly helps 50 children in grades K through 5 reach grade level. In addition, the "Motheread" program helps parents improve their literacy skills so they can do the same for their children. These and even more activities residing under the EDCI banner provide a range of services that span our children's needs, from cradle to career.
While many of us at GSK are aware of what we're doing to serve the needs of our patients, it's easy to lose sight of the other great things we are doing to build our local communities.
In my opinion, it's vital to do things that will help build and sustain a quality work force - which can then carry on the critical job of helping patients through a variety of health related careers. The two go hand-in-hand. And what better place to start than in our own communities?
Last Friday was a beautiful sunny day for a field trip. As I rode in the van from Philadelphia to Marietta, Pennsylvania, I took some time to enjoy the bucolic scenery (Hello, cows!) and the fall foliage.
I was on my way to visit GSK's manufacturing facility, along with eight bloggers who were invited to tour the facility and learn about the role that vaccination plays in keeping adults and families healthy. The people I work with at GSK are very passionate about the importance of vaccinations. But would people who write blogs about a wide variety of subjects (including science, fitness, wellness, policy, and parenting) care enough to take time out of their busy schedules?
When I heard about some of the other sponsored trips a few of the bloggers had taken (tours of a candy plant and personal fittings for free clothes topping the lists), I was especially pleased that they had agreed to attend an arguably less glamorous trip. Lunch catered by the cafeteria. No free samples at the end. Not even a free pen (though the bloggers did take away two educational pieces created by GSK for the GiveYour Health a Shot campaign and the What to Expect Guide to Immunizations.
We had organized a similar trip last year for parenting bloggers focused on pediatric vaccination. Our attendees last year appreciated that we opened our doors. From the GSK perspective, we were proud to show off what we do. And so here we were again, with another very impressive group of bloggers.
During the trip, I was reminded of the complexity of vaccines, from the initial research and development to the manufacturing. On the packaging side alone there seem to be approximately a gazillion safety and quality checks. I was impressed by the highly automated, shiny, and super-fast machines. It was almost hypnotic watching those vials zoom down the conveyor belt.
I was also envious of the cleaning filters and procedures in place to ensure a sterile environment. A number of us on the trip were moms, and I am sure I was not alone in wondering how I could put the filters to work to clean my home. The technology is pretty amazing. And the protocols in place are stringent! We had to ask everyone to leave their jewelry in the conference room, and then we put on lab coats, hair nets, goggles, and booties once we got to the packaging area. Everyone was a really good sport, even though we couldn't keep the protective gear to wear for Halloween.
Like a lot of parents, I make sure I get my little girl vaccinated to help protect her from as many diseases as possible. My husband and I got the whooping cough vaccine to protect her, and we never miss our annual flu shots. It is just as important for the adults in my life to stay up to date on their recommended vaccines. I'm still working on my parents, who think they have a "lucky charm" to protect them against the flu.
I for one am happy that we have vaccinations.
But enough about what I think--click on the links below to hear what our guests had to say about the experience:
http://nutgraf.net/2010/11/03/nerdgasm-hit-me-with-your-best-shot/
http://momtothescreamingmasses.typepad.com/scrutiny_by_the_masses/
http://familyfitness.about.com/b/2010/11/05/halloween-hairnets-and-good-health.htm
http://www.yumyucky.com/2010/11/sicko-alert-get-ready-dammit.html
Last week, for our annual Orange Day of service, my colleagues and I visited Cranaleith, a Victorian home from 1891, tucked away in a 10-acre, park-like setting in Philadelphia. Cranaleith is Gaelic for "Sanctuary of Trees," and as my car turned into the driveway, I was immediately struck, and pleasantly surprised, by the serenity of the property.
A nonprofit agency founded in 1998, the Cranaleith Spiritual Center is a ministry that responds to the hungers of the human spirit. Cranaleith is accessible to everyone--especially to "persons who are poor and those who work in solidarity with them." The organization hosts people from all walks of life--from those suffering from poverty and homelessness to caregivers to leaders of business. Their mission is to offer "a contemplative space for all those seeking wholeness and transformation for themselves and society."
The Executive Director of Cranaleith is the aunt of one of my co-workers, and the cousin of another co-worker is a grant writer for Cranaleith. So, when a location for this year's Orange Day activity came up in the Communications team, Cranaleith was at the top of the list. It seemed to be a good fit.
Cranaleith is about to embark on a capital campaign to expand its campus and what it offers to the community. They were in need of skilled volunteers for communications and marketing. Also, with 10 acres and lots of trees and landscaping, there was plenty to do for those of us who preferred a rake and the outside air to whiteboard and pen.
So, 23 of us went off in different directions: brainstorming ideas for the capital campaign, providing much needed computer assistance and outside to rake those leaves! Each person worked hard in whichever area he or she chose. Since our department is spread out across several campuses in Philadelphia and RTP, North Carolina, our lunch break allowed us some socializing with colleagues with whom we met for the first time or usually only interacted with by phone or email.
I think we all came away with an appreciation for the impact Cranaleith has on the community and also a sense of disbelief that it is done with so few resources. As with most nonprofit organizations, there is no IT department, no marketing or communications teams, and limited funds.
I was part of the grounds crew and, as I raked those leaves, I looked upward to all the leaves that were still to fall. Similar in number to all those individuals who are out there seeking peace and meaning in their lives.
