Right-to-health responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies.

摘要

Almost 2 billion people worldwide lack access to essential medicines. The human rights responsibility to improve access lies mainly with the state. However, non-state actors, such as the pharmaceutical industry, share that responsibility too. On June 3, a UN independent human rights report on the practices and policies of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in relation to their right-to-health responsibilities and access to medicines was presented to the UN Human Rights Council. It is the first time that such a mission on a pharmaceutical company has ever been done. GSK should be commended for subjecting themselves to the process.