By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - European drugmakers are better than their U.S. counterparts in ensuring medicines reach people in poor countries, with Britain's GlaxoSmithKline Plc leading the field, according to an analysis on Monday.

The ranking -- the first of its kind -- was produced by the Dutch-based Access to Medicine Foundation and is backed by 12 fund managers, who together manage $1.2 trillion in assets.

The ranking is based on eight main criteria, including companies' policies on increasing access, patenting, research into neglected diseases and the use of fair pricing systems.

The analysis found big differences between the world's largest pharmaceutical companies in their efforts to provide millions of people in low-income countries with affordable drugs and vaccines.

Denmark's Novo Nordisk, a specialist in diabetes care, ranked second in the index with Merck & Co Inc placed third -- the only U.S. company among the top seven.

Pfizer Inc, the world's largest drugmaker, came in 17th out of a field of 20, behind Indian generic firms Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd and Cipla Ltd.

There were no Japanese drug companies on the list.

"TRANSATLANTIC DIVIDE"