It is hoped the move by GSK will encourage others to pursue a fully open approach to research into a disease that causes around 1.5 million deaths around the world every year. This builds on a similar work carried out by GSK in 2009 to place all of its malaria compounds in the public domain. Since the publication of this data in 2010, GSK's anti-malarial dataset has been shared with research institutions around the world, resulting in a number of promising research projects now underway.

GSK has also decided to double funding for its ‘Open Lab' at Tres Cantos, Spain, awarding it an additional $8 million (£5 million). The ‘Open Lab' was established in 2010 to allow independent researchers access to GSK facilities, resources and knowledge to help them advance their own research projects into diseases of the developing world. Two years since the ‘Open Lab' was established, there are now 16 research projects in the portfolio.