GSK Limits Medical Education Funding to Independent Programs With Highest Impact...

GSK Limits Medical Education Funding to Independent Programs With Highest
Impact on Patient Care

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) today announced new standards for funding
accredited, continuing medical education (CME) for healthcare professionals to
ensure the programs result in improved patient health. Starting in 2010, GSK
will raise the bar and fund only independent medical education programs that
are clearly designed to close gaps in patient care, and that demonstrate
support for the optimal performance of healthcare professionals.

"GSK will not support as many medical education programs, but we will continue
funding those with the greatest potential to improve patient health," said
Deirdre Connelly, GSK's President North America Pharmaceuticals. "Continuing
medical education offers healthcare professionals important information on
disease prevention, diagnosis and management. Independent and balanced
information on the latest discoveries about disease and treatment options
helps healthcare professionals make higher quality decisions and achieve
better patient health outcomes."

GSK will invite grant applications from approximately 20 medical education
providers with a documented track record of developing and delivering high
quality medical education programs that have a measurable impact on improved
patient health. Potential grant applicants will be limited to academic
medical centers and their affiliated teaching and patient care institutions,
as well as national-level professional medical associations that represent
healthcare professionals responsible for the delivery of patient care. All
selected providers must be directly accredited by a recognized accrediting
body.

GSK will no longer fund CME by commercial providers including medical
education and communication companies (MECCs) under the policy which takes
effect immediately.

Funding levels for each grant will depend on the quality, scope and complexity
in closing the clinical gap identified by the provider. All proposals must
have an objective, well documented assessment of the need for such a program,
clear learning objectives and plans to assess the impact of the educational
program on healthcare professional competence, performance, and improved
patient health.

"We want to enhance the quality of these programs," Connelly said. "This is
one more step in our efforts to be more transparent in the way we operate our
business and interact with healthcare providers."

All approved grants will continue to be posted on the company's website,
www.us-gsk.com. Since February 2009, GSK has posted quarterly reports of its
educational and charitable grants to US health-related organizations including
hospitals, teaching institutions, managed care organizations, professional
associations, and patient advocacy groups.

Other recent initiatives by GSK to increase public access to information about
company decisions, funding and research include:

-- Reporting fees paid to US healthcare professionals for speaker and
advisory services on the company's website. GSK pays healthcare
professionals for their time and services when they speak at
GSK-sponsored meetings and when they provide consultancy services such
as serving on an advisory board. The first report of fees paid from
April 2009 will be published in the fourth quarter of 2009.
-- Publicly disclosing research payments to healthcare professionals and
institutions. This will start in 2010 with payments to US healthcare
professionals and institutions for conduct of clinical trials.
Thereafter it will be extended to payments for other types of research
and to healthcare professionals and institutions outside the US.
-- Publishing all clinical research results in the scientific literature.
GSK will publish all our clinical research of GSK medicines either as
manuscripts in peer reviewed journals or, when studies are not
published, provide context and interpretation via the GSK Clinical
Study
Register on the internet to supplement the result summaries which are
currently posted.
-- Reporting clinical trial investigator names and institutions. Since
January 2009, the company has published the names of investigators
participating in GSK-sponsored clinical trials, together with the
institutions they are working in, as part of the registers of clinical
trial protocols for studies.

-- Stopping all corporate political contributions globally. In the past,
GSK -- in common with many companies and in full compliance with local
laws -- has made a number of corporate political contributions in
countries such as the US and Canada. GSK's current policy no longer
allows such contributions.

GlaxoSmithKline -- one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical
and healthcare companies -- is committed to improving the quality of human
life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
Under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements
or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are
subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected. Factors that may affect GSK' s operations are
described under 'Risk Factors' in the 'Business Review' in the company' s
Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2007.

SOURCE GlaxoSmithKline

Mary Anne Rhyne of GlaxoSmithKline, +1-919-483-2839