Brussels, 5 March 2025
We wrote to GSK regarding their recently reported decision to suspend diversity work within the company.[1] This goes completely against previously stated plans to improve global health and improve clinical research. GSK is a huge global pharmaceutical company that surely cannot react to the whims of any one country in this manner. We are appalled at this decision and call for it to be revoked immediately.
As an organisation focused on the response to HIV, we meet regularly with pharmaceutical companies which are active in this field and in other related areas. This includes ViiV Healthcare, a multi-company partnership in which GSK owns the major share; we understand that currently this share is 76.5%.
We remind them also that GSK is a British-based company, with its headquarters in London. As such it is not subject to US jurisdiction. Nor, by extension, is GSK subject to US Presidential Executive Orders. You are however subject to UK equality laws. How does this this suspension of diversity work not contravene UK discrimination and employment law?
We therefore demand that GSK continues its diversity work. We also demand to know if this peremptory suspension of diversity work extends into ViiV Healthcare. If you are applying this decision to ViiV Healthcare, please explain its reach into the company and how you expect to exercise it. We have already asked ViiV Healthcare to respond to this with a letter on the 14th of February and await a response.
We demand a fully binding assurance from you that your application of US orders outside the US has no impact whatsoever on the conduct of clinical trials, on data collection, and on the dissemination of trial/study outcomes in any way and any degree whatsoever.
[1] ‘Going forward, we will make changes in several areas related to inclusion and diversity to ensure continued compliance with the law and being respectful of our operating environment, including no longer setting aspirational targets for our leadership and supplier programmes.’ GSK Annual Report 2024, p. 47 https://www.gsk.com/media/11850/annual-report-2024.pdf
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