GlaxoSmithKline is partnering with Save the Children to save the lives of one million children over the next five years by developing and making available adapted medicines in some of the world’s poorest countries.
This collaboration is a five-year partnership which includes sharing expertise, resources, reach and influence to tackle some of the leading causes of childhood deaths.
Explaining the idea behind the partnership, Chief Executive Officer of GSK, Sir Andrew Witty, said the partnership was an opportunity to transform the lives of millions of children.
“At GSK we are motivated by developing innovative life-saving medicines and getting them to the people that need them. By joining forces with Save the Children, we can amplify these efforts to create a new momentum for change and stop children dying from preventable diseases. I hope this partnership inspires GSK employees and sets a new standard for how companies and NGOs can work together towards a shared goal,” he said
The GSK-Save the Children partnership will also focus on widening vaccine coverage to the poorest children, increasing investment in health workers, as well as developing a low-cost nutritional product to help combat child malnutrition.
Amongst the key initiatives are the transformation of an antiseptic used in mouthwash into a life-saving product for new-borns and the roll-out of a powder-form of an antibiotic in child friendly doses to help fight pneumonia – one of the main killers of children under five.
According to the Chief Executive of Save the Children, Justin Forsyth, the partnership involves both organisations working in new ways to save the lives of a million children.