Of all the CSR priorities today, why are HIV/AIDS, TB, and/or malaria high on your agenda?

Because I believe GSK can make a difference. When HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria are killing around 20,000 people every day, fighting these diseases should be high on the agenda of any organization that is a position to help alleviate such suffering.

I am proud of what we have done so far. In terms of HIV/AIDS, we have long been committed to providing our antiretrovirals (ARVs) to Africa at not-for-profit prices. Since 2004 we have shipped 364 million tablets at not-for-profit. As well as our ARVs, we offer our vaccines at preferential prices to the developing world, and we are one of the primary suppliers of vaccines to major international organizations such as Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization (GAVI) and UNICEF.

As I assume leadership of GSK, I will be seeking more ways for us to build on and intensify our efforts. Playing our part in the global response to improving healthcare in the developing world is, quite simply, the right thing to do. Companies that respond sensitively and are committed to addressing such challenges will be the leaders of the future.

Do you think this fight is winnable? What will it take to win?

This is a fight we must win—and there is cause for hope. Of course it won't be easy and if we are to win we need a genuine sense of partnership between the public and private sectors, working together to develop new medicines and vaccines and, crucially, ensuring that once available they reach the people who need them.

We at GSK are committed to this partnership approach and will always look for innovative ways of working together. Some good progress is already being made in this area. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) between private sector companies such as GSK and organizations such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture and the TB Alliance have transformed the landscape of R&D into neglected diseases. More needs to be done to ensure the sustainability of this approach, but we have made a good start.

One promising PPP success story is the search for a malaria vaccine. GSK have been working on a vaccine for 20 years and we have invested over US$300m. Thanks to our partnership with the Gates Foundation and the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, we believe we are on the brink of success. We have had some breakthrough clinical trial results which substantially advance the vision of a vaccine capable of protecting young African children against malaria. We hope to submit our dossier to regulatory authorities in 2011.

Taking action requires company resources. How big of an undertaking is it, and how do you manage it?

It's a big undertaking but, as I said at the beginning, if you are in a position to help, I believe you should. As a research-based company, one of the biggest commitments we can give is to continue to invest in R&D to find newer and better medicines and vaccines for diseases of the developing world.

At GSK, we are fully committed to investing in such R&D. We have created a dedicated group in our pharmaceutical R&D organization to focus on diseases of the developing world. This includes a drug discovery center at Tres Cantos in Spain focusing primarily on malaria and TB. A similar group exists in our vaccines organization based in Belgium, where a third of our vaccine R&D pipeline is for diseases of the developing world.

We also have extensive community investment activities and partnerships that foster effective healthcare. Our HIV/AIDS program, Positive Action, has been working with communities for over 15 years. At GSK, we believe in playing our part. I want GSK to continue to be at the forefront in helping to improve health around the world. We will strive to improve our initiatives by applying lessons learned, seeking new partnerships, and looking for opportunities to do more.

» Positive Action: Visit GlaxoSmithKline's Positive Action website