September 2012 Archives

Much remains to be done to save the lives of the 800 women and more than 20,000 children who die every day from preventable causes around the world. All too often, affordable, accessible medicines and supplies fail to reach these most vulnerable populations.

To address this issue head on, I was honored to join world leaders including President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway at a meeting of a special UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children to advocate for increased access to and the appropriate use of essential medicines, medical devices and other commodities that could save lives. 

The pharmaceutical industry has an important role to play in ensuring that women and children are protected from preventable causes of death and diseases.  We realize there are high hurdles to climb--a need for trained health workers to administer basic medicines such as antibiotics and clear guidelines to help with diagnosing patients quickly and accurately are critical.

But we also believe that we can reduce barriers that restrict access to essential healthcare for women and children in need--items we take for granted in countries such as the US.

At the meeting yesterday, members of the UN Commission presented a new plan and set of recommendations submitted to the UN Secretary-General.

GSK will be working with the UN Commission and partners to deliver on new commitments to the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure the availability of essential medicines to specifically combat childhood pneumonia. This means supporting the registration process to get antibiotics approved, helping ensure health workers have the education and training they need, and utilizing our established surveillance systems to track how medications are being used appropriately.

Together, we will champion efforts to help improve supply and access of life-saving health supplies to women and children in need.

What comes to mind when you think about what makes a community "healthy"?

I'm pleased to announce that GSK is working with The Atlantic to bring together national and local thought leaders in three cities--starting with Philadelphia--to share their perspectives on building healthier communities. It kicks off September 24 at 3:00 PM (EDT). I hope you can make some time to watch it live.

I moved to Philadelphia a few years ago. What a great city! It has a history of medical innovation and an impressive collection of world-class medical institutions, including the nation's oldest hospital. Yet we have the third lowest life expectancy among America's big cities and the worst health outcomes in Pennsylvania. What are we doing wrong--or what aren't we doing at all?

With The Atlantic, our goal is to identify innovative, yet practical ways to work with communities and stakeholders--including health organizations, professionals, elected officials, advocates and citizens--to explore new approaches to improving the public's health.

Some of the region's top minds in the fields of medicine, public health, academia, government, business and philanthropy will examine the broader factors that influence health in Philadelphia and what is being done today in communities across the city to successfully overcome barriers and challenges.

After Philadelphia, we will travel to St. Louis and a third city, still to be identified, to continue the conversation. Be sure to like GSK on Facebook and follow @GSKUS on Twitter--and use #HealthyCommunity to weigh in--for updates from the events.

You can also learn more in an Op Ed I co-wrote with Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter, and on our YouTube channel--in English and Spanish.

Through GSK's global commitment to fight lymphatic filariasis (LF) and intestinal worm infection, we just donated our three billionth albendazole tablet to help people in need.  Over 500 million people have been treated for LF since the start of the program. 

The tablet, shipped from our manufacturing facility in Cape Town, is destined for the Philippines as part of their national effort to eliminate LF.

Our donation of albendazole is part of our global effort to help rid the world of LF, a tropical disease (also known as elephantiasis) that is a leading cause of permanent disability and disfigurement.  In 1998 we committed to donate as much albendazole as necessary to every country that needs it. 

This is a fantastic achievement and one that we're proud of. Working in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, we estimated that approximately six billion treatments would be required for the global elimination effort. So, roughly speaking, we are halfway there in fighting this devastating disease. This is a great team effort and my thanks to everybody involved.

The achievement of this milestone was made possible with expert support along each essential step of the way: from procurement of the tablet ingredients, to manufacture in our Cape Town and Nashik factories, to shipment to 66 countries around the world. 

What a milestone!

On September 11, I attended the InformationWeek 500 awards event where our North America Pharmaceuticals IT organization was awarded a place on the list. (That is me with my colleague, Carl, at left.)  Now in its 24th year, the InformationWeek 500 designation is awarded to the nation's most innovative information technology organizations. During the event, we heard senior leaders from a range of companies describe how technology innovation is transforming and disrupting entire industries. This is certainly the case in healthcare.

In fact, the same consumer trends that have driven widespread use of mobile phones, tablets, and apps are also now fundamentally changing how patients and healthcare professionals access and use healthcare information. As an example, today 85% of physicians in the United States use a smart phone for professional purposes. The rate of mobile health adoption by consumers has also doubled over the last two years, with 26% of US consumers now using mobile phones for health related activities.  Electronic medical record use is also growing rapidly, with some estimates forecasting that 90% of physicians will be using them by 2019.

In response to some of these trends, at GSK we're transforming our approach to digital information. One of the key digital innovation projects that got InformationWeek's attention was a major effort to deploy more than 5,000 tablet devices equipped with new apps and mobile customer management tools across our entire US sales force. These new resources make it possible for our sales representatives to communicate key information about our products anywhere at any time, in a way that is much more in line with the new ways our customers work and gather information. We also use the same customer management tools within our call centers, so that customers can benefit from a similar experience regardless of how they choose to contact GSK.

Clearly this is just the beginning of our innovation journey, but the public recognition we received this week from the InformationWeek 500 is an encouraging sign that we are on the right path.

Renowned English physician Sir Thomas Willis (that's him, at left) first described the symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in 1685. But more than 300 years later, scientists and physicians are still learning about the condition, which may affect as many as 10 percent of the US population. In fact, it's only in the last few years that studies identified some of the genetic markers of RLS and noted that it is often found in families when the onset of symptoms is before age 40.

Primary RLS is a long-term neurological condition. It is characterized by an urge to move the legs, associated with or caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations.

The four criteria doctors use to diagnose RLS are also the symptoms people most often notice, sometimes prompting them to seek a physician's advice.  The diagnosis criteria are:

o    An urge to move the legs, usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant leg sensations  

o    Symptoms that begin or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying down or sitting

o    Symptoms that are partially or totally relieved by movement, such as walking or stretching, at least as long as the activity continues

o    Symptoms that are worse or occur only in the evening or at night

People with RLS sometimes refer to a "creepy crawling feeling" they get in their legs. This feeling creates an urge for them to move their legs, which does seem to temporarily relieve the discomfort.

In addition to being involved with RLS-related activities through my job at GSK, I also have family members who suffer from RLS who have to manage their symptoms on a daily basis.  As a result, I'm often reminded of the impact this condition has on so many people across the country.

With this in mind, I want to help call attention to the start of Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Week. It is a great time to educate family, friends, and our community about RLS, and encourage people who may have symptoms to check with their doctor. 

Want to learn more about Restless Legs Syndrome?  Click here to watch a video that discusses the History of RLS.

If you or someone you know suspects they may be experiencing the symptoms of RLS, they should talk to their doctor.  Only a only a doctor can diagnose RLS.  Further, consider discussing the four criteria physicians use to diagnose RLS with your family.   A complete family history is also important information for your doctor and may be helpful in the diagnosis of RLS.

Visit www.restlesslegs.com to learn more about RLS, and gain helpful information and tips for living with this disease.

It was about this time last year that I decided to make a major change in my healthcare.

Like many other employers, each fall GlaxoSmithKline holds an "annual enrollment period" when I enroll my family for health benefits. I usually continue with plan I'm already on, with the usual benefits, with the same doctor/practice for the past 10 years. My co-payments had gone up over the past few years, but what hasn't become more expensive?

So when I saw an announcement from GSK about the option to join a new kind of medical practice--a medical 'home' with NO co-payments--well, that got my attention.

"Patient-centered medical homes" or "medical homes" are the subject of much confusion. Many who aren't involved in the business of healthcare--and even some who are--often mistake the term for a bricks and mortar healthcare facility, a nursing home, or even a physician who makes house calls. Instead, a patient-centered medical home is more of a "virtual" home for your healthcare--providing patients with a single point of contact to help coordinate their medical care, arrange care with other healthcare professionals when necessary, and house their health records electronically.

GSK is offering access to a patient-centered medical home benefit to employees as part of a pilot program in North Carolina called First in Health. Together with other employers in the state, we're hoping to show that by coordinating medical care, we can improve the health of our employees and reduce healthcare costs.

I checked to see if my current doctor/practice was on the list of groups participating in this pilot program for GSK--and though many of my colleagues' doctors are on the list, mine was not. When it was time to get my flu shot, I asked the front desk if they were aware of the medical home and if they were planning to participate. No one seemed to know.

That's when I decided it was time to change, and started looking at other medical groups.

We had changed doctors in the past--when we moved, or when the kids were born, we found a pediatric practice. But that was more than 10 years ago, and I wasn't sure where to start. I found the list of practices our health plan offered as a medical home, and looked at their websites, and any information I could find out about them. I asked friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Finally my husband and I agreed on a smaller practice that could take care of our needs, as well as for our two children. I enrolled in the health plan's medical home option, and selected this practice as our new provider.

I stopped by to meet the office staff, and to let them know that I was changing to their practice to use my health benefits and they would be my medical home. The office staff was new to the concept, but eager to help, and we got the initial work started to transfer my family's health records after the New Year.

Since we each needed an annual physical, wellness checks, and medications, my husband, kids, and I scheduled introductory interviews with our new doctors and nurse practitioners, and set up individual plans for the year. Both of the kids were attending college out of town, but still covered by our health benefits, but it was important for them to begin to learn how to manage their own care, and be given individual options and education about their health. We were surprised at the time the staff spent with each of us, and amazed when we realized that many of the questions they asked about out health had not been posed previously. We each left the office with a plan, and knew what we needed to do before the next visit.

At my physical, the nurse practitioner spent more than 30 minutes with me, taking my history, and having the medical assistant get extra tests and lab work that I needed. I couldn't remember the last time I received that much attention from my doctor. 

I knew I needed to lose weight and exercise more, and the nurse spent time with me exploring my options and what would work best with my schedule. I looked into programs that were offered at work, and programs that our benefits covered, and got started that week. I started taking  advantage again of our benefit that reimburses for weight loss or exercise programs.

In the past 8 months I have lost 30 pounds. I've been exercising 3 days a week, and am going to weekly weight management meetings. My medications have been adjusted, and I look and feel great!  I actually look forward to returning to my nurse for the next physical, and to show her the progress that I've made!

Looking back over the past year, my husband has also lost 20 pounds, and his lab tests show he is managing his health better as well. The kids are also more aware of what they need to do for their health, and taking a more active role...what a difference a year makes!  

Change isn't always easy. But I've had to get over my "too busy to take care of myself" mentality. Our healthcare system is going through such a period of dramatic change, and there is so much noise out there about the many important shifts occurring to improve patient care and reduce costs. It can be hard to step back and think about what changes you and your family need to improve your own health. The patient-centered medical home required some thought, and some work, on my part. But this change has been the best decision of my life, and my family's lives as well.

This year, take some time to prioritize your health and think about the changes that may be right for you. Talk to your benefits manager or insurance provider and see if they offer a medical home benefit. Visit www.firstinhealth.org to learn about what GSK is doing, and the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative to find out who in your community is taking this new approach to wellness.