The Waterford Labour Party TD, Brian O’Shea, said this week that GlaxoSmithKline, which employs 700 people in Dungarvan, was an enlightened company that was now providing cheap medicine for the world’s poor. Praising the company for its ‘brilliant creativity’, Deputy O’Shea said GlaxoSmithKline was blazing a trail for others to follow.
“I was delighted to be informed that Andrew Witty, the Chief Executive of GlaxoSmithKline, has announced that his company is to radically shift its attitude to providing cheap drugs to millions of people in the developing world”, said Deputy O’Shea, who is the Labour Party spokesperson on Defence and the Irish Language.
“Mr Witty has indicated that GSK plans to significantly reduce prices on all medicines in the poorest countries, give back profits to be spent on hospitals and clinics and, the most ground-breaking of all, share knowledge about potential drugs that are currently protected by patents.
“It is an enlightened move which shows that an innovative approach to the current international economic crisis can provide business benefits for such a major international company while simultaneously opening up new market opportunities and improving healthcare in the most needy countries on the planet”, said the Tramore based Deputy.
“The demonstration of such positive and creative thinking on the part of GSK’s leadership can only give me confidence that the 1,450 people employed by the company in Ireland can look forward to exciting, challenging and I hope secure employment in the years to come.
