About Us

Economic Contributions

GSK makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy through employment, exports, manufacturing and local investment.

We recognise that it's only through the dedication and talent or our 1,500 staff that we can achieve our goal to help Australians to do more, feel better and live longer. Our team includes people with a diverse expertise, from manufacturing and distribution, to clinical research.

In addition to our staff, hundreds of other Australians support GSK through activities such as contract manufacturing, external research collaborations, local supply arrangements, even through farming in Australia.

As an exporter, our commitment to world-best-practice manufacturing means we're an important link in the global pharmaceutical supply chain. In fact, products manufactured in Australia are exported to countries throughout Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific Region. In 2004, our export sales totalled $350million.

In addition to our chemicals facility at Port Fairy, Victoria – where medical alkaloids are extracted from our poppies grown in Tasmania – we have a major manufacturing plant at Boronia in Victoria, where 600 people are employed in the manufacturing and packaging of prescription medicines. This site leads the world in 'blow-fill-seal' technology – a technique for manufacturing a range of safe, plastic-encapsulated sterile products for the treatment of asthma, and for pain management.

This Boronia facility also produces aerosol products in metered-dose inhalers for asthma treatment as well as a wide range of tablet products. This site makes a significant contribution to the domestic economy by spending some $20 million each year on locally sourced materials such as packaging components.

GSK is committed to bringing innovative and effective new products to Australia to ensure better health outcomes for Australian patients and will work with the Australian Government to provide innovative medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Operating in the generic pharmaceuticals market when patent protection for innovative medicines expires, GSK also delivers savings to the cost of healthcare in Australia.

GSK's consumer healthcare manufacturing facility based in Ermington, New South Wales, makes products such as the Panadol range and Macleans toothpaste.
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