GKS is no more: Kenya welcomes Haleon

The new entity is gradually phasing out the GSK logo from its product packaging.

by JOHN MUCHANGI

Health17 March 2025 - 23:10

In Summary

GSK exited Kenya in 2023 as part of its restructuring and now supplies its medicines and vaccines through a third-party distributor.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline Limited (GSK) in Kenya has officially changed its legal entity name to Haleon Kenya Limited, effective March 14, 2025.

The new company is a subsidiary of Haleon plc, which was created in July 2022 when GSK separated its consumer healthcare business from the GSK Group, establishing it as an independent company in which GSK initially held a stake.

However, GSK has since sold all its shares in Haleon.

GSK exited Kenya in 2023 as part of its restructuring and now supplies its medicines and vaccines through a third-party distributor.

Its former manufacturing facility on Likoni Road, in Nairobi’s Industrial Area, was taken over by Haleon, which has since expanded its operations.

Haleon manufactures consumer health brands including Sensodyne, Panadol, Eno, and Scott’s Emulsion. The Nairobi factory also serves as a regional hub, exporting products to seven East African markets and South Africa.

“This transition is more than a name change; it’s a reaffirmation of our commitment to delivering high-quality, science-led health solutions tailored for Kenyan consumers,” said Mark Pfister, Haleon’s general manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, in a statement.

“We are also expanding our local manufacturing capabilities, ensuring greater accessibility to essential health products while maintaining the highest quality standards for the betterment of Kenya.”

Haleon is gradually phasing out the GSK logo from its product packaging. Consumers may notice different branding during this transition, as some products will have no logo initially before adopting the Haleon branding.

“As we transition from GSK to Haleon, the packaging artwork on products will gradually evolve—from featuring the GSK logo to no logo, and eventually to the Haleon logo,” Pfister explained. “Consumers may notice branding differences across various assets or even among different packages of the same product on shelves.”

When GSK announced its consumer demerger in June 2022 to create Haleon, the drugs manufacturer described it as its most significant corporate change in the last 20 years.

GSK says it would now focus purely on pharmaceuticals, prioritising investment for innovative and speciality medicines.

In 2023 GSK further announced it would no longer market medicines to healthcare professionals in 29 sub-Saharan African markets, including Kenya, and instead adopt a distributor-led model.