The Index 2010 included Japanese pharmaceutical companies, why did you include them this time around?

Feedback from the first Index was that the 2008 Index did not include Japanese pharmaceutical companies. This time around we have included this important group and found a positive trend in the policies and practices of the Japanese companies. While these companies lag most of their peers on ATM issues, they have shown promising signs of improvement. All four Japanese companies engaged with the Index 2010 team openly and all are in the process of further developing their Access to Medicine strategies and targets. Among these companies, Eisai is actively engaging in neglected diseases research and making concrete and ambitious commitments for expanding its initiatives in the Index Countries.