Patient groups provide people with support and education on how to live with their condition, represent patient views and campaign for change on issues that affect patients and caregivers. Some also fundraise for, or carry out, vital research into the causes and potential treatments for specific diseases.

In Canada, we work with a wide range of patient groups and community stakeholders in a variety of different disease areas to ensure patient needs and their illnesses are understood. Our aim is to support the voice of patients and to foster a constructive healthcare debate for all stakeholders. GSK and patient groups share a vision to improving patient access to effective care, treatments and services.

We are committed to working with patient groups at the highest levels of transparency and ethical standards. Key principles of our work with patient groups are trust and mutual respect.

Global principles for working with patient groups

• The independence of patient groups, of their political judgment and of their activities shall be assured.
• In all co-operative matters, transparency is vital.
• Any joint policies undertaken between patient groups and GSK shall be based on mutual respect and trust.
• We shall not use undue influence to promote specific medicines or services.
• We will always comply with local laws/governance.

Use the tab above to see the patient groups and community stakeholders we provided financial support to during 2009.

In Canada, most grants to HIV/AIDS community stakeholders are funded through GlaxoSmithKline’s partnership with Shire Canada. Funding amounts indicated represent GlaxoSmithKline’s portion of the total grant amount.

We define Core funding as funding that supports the organization’s operations; Project funding as funding attached to a particular activity such as a project, research fellowship, charitable donation, employee gift match or volunteer grant; and In-Kind funding as third party engagement to support a given project.

The grants provided to patient groups represent less than 25% of each group's annual income in alignment with our global policy.