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Humanitarian relief

We know that our medicines can play a vital role in the humanitarian relief efforts in disaster zones, or to support basic healthcare provision in the world's poorest communities. Donations of these products where they are needed most form an important part of our community investment activities.

Donations follow World Health Organization guidelines and are made at the express request of major charitable organisations.

We work in partnership with non-profit organisations and relief charities that have experience in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including AmeriCares, Direct Relief, InterChurch Medical Assistance, MAP International and Project HOPE. We make sure these partner organisations have medicines available in their warehouse, so they can establish strategic plans for relief programmes as well as respond promptly to emergency situations.

The amount of products donated varies from year to year, depending on demand. We provided supplies of antibiotics and basic medicines in response to:

• the cyclone in Myanmar
• the earthquake in China
• the devastating Asian tsunami in late 2004, where we donated more than 3.6 million doses of antibiotics to prevent the spread of infectious diseases
• severe flooding in Bangladesh
• the humanitarian crisis in Sudan
• the earthquake in Pakistan
• hurricanes in the Caribbean, Central America and the USA

We are a member of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PMQD), an alliance of pharmaceutical companies and humanitarian agencies that works to encourage the donation and timely delivery of appropriate medicines to people in need.