gsk was formed in december 2000 by the merger of the two global pharmaceutical giants, glaxo wellcome and smithkline beecham. the history of these two companies can be traced back to the ｍｉｄdle of 19th century. during the past more than 100 years, they have solidified their worldwide leadership position in the pharmaceutical field by constant innovation and several mergers. after the successful merger of the two pharmaceutical giants, gsk is well positioned to become the indispuｔａｂｌｅ leader of the pharmaceutical industry field. headquartered in the uk and with operations based in the us, gsk represents the top level of four of medical areas in infection, central nervous system, respiratory and gastrointestinal system / metabolism. in ａｄｄition, we are a leader in the vaccine field. as a worldwide leader of the pharmaceutical industry, gsk has the global second to none r&d, production and manufacturing capability, quality control system and marketing service philosophy. with the company’s powerful combination of skills and resources, gsk has a platform that ｄｅｌivers strong growth in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment. our company strives to provide the best products to customers. at the same time, gsk seeks to ｃｒｅａｔｅ the best work environment and offers a broad range of career opportunities for our staff. the global r&d centres have over 16,000 scientists and technicians in many ｃｏｕｎｔries. to further promote the globalization of r&d, glaxosmithkline (gsk) china r&d center was launched in june 2007. gsk r&d china will focus on research into neurodegeneration with the objective of discovering new medicines for such severe disorders as multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, and alzheimer’s disease. gsk r&d china will grow to a global r&d center with more than 1,000 scientists and technicians. research in this center will be science-driven, with development of novel therapeutics through innovation and latest technologies in biology and chemistry. the center will eventually direct the global discovery and development activities within its therapeutic area, from drug-target identification to late-stage clinical studies, while collaborating with research institutions in china and other ｃｏｕｎｔries. gsk r&d china will grow in the next decade to become one of the major gsk r&d centers.