Highlights in the Year 2008
14. 2. 2008 |
Our toddlers and their childcare workers have finally got a new kindergarten. After closely following the construction for a few months, the kindergarten moved into modern and spacious playrooms on January 14. On February 14, we officially opened the new kindergarten together with the children, their parents and childcare workers, Lek associates that participated in the construction of the kindergarten, the representative of the Najdihojca kindergarten, the City Municipality of Ljubljana and the Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Affairs.
18. 3. 2008 |
On 18 March, Lek started its traditional annual charity campaign at the children’s ward of the Murska Sobota General Hospital, through which all children in the children’s wards in Slovenia received pajamas. With this campaign we tried to help hospitals by showing that the funds earmarked each year for the purchase of pajamas can be used for other, more urgent equipment and for improving working conditions. There were 11 children’s wards in general hospitals, the Pediatric Hospital in Ljubljana, and the Children’s Surgery Ward at the Ljubljana Clinical Center.
Leciklarna Center
April, 2008 |
For a number of years, in cooperation with the Medical Students Association of Slovenia, we have been organizing the collection of unused medicine at home in various Slovenian regions called Leciklarna centers. On all four Saturdays in April, students were collecting medicine in the Štajerska region: in Maribor, Velenje, Celje. Slovenska Bistrica and Ptuj. Around 18,782 packages of medicine were collected throughout Slovenia under the auspices of the Leciklarna Center.
Quality Management Excellence Award 2008
April 15 and 16, 2008 |
At the Novartis annual quality conference which was held on April 15 and 16 in Freiburg, Germany, traditional awards for quality management excellence for 2008 were awarded for different achievements (life work, achievements in the business year and achievements in specific areas). There were 10 awards given to groups and individuals. An award was also given to Nevenka Mikoš, Director of Quality Control at Lek.
8. 5. 2008 |
On May 8, in the pharmaceutical company, together with Novartis Pharma Slovenia, colleagues organized for the third consecutive year a Community Partnership Day with the local community. At Lek sites we organized 10 different activities which included a kitchen for the homeless, a meeting with the children from the Soča Rehabilitation Institute, we visited the Thumbelina Safe House in Grosuplje and the Rakitna Climatic Spa for Children . For residents of the elderly people’s homes in Mengeš and Medvode we prepared fun social events We also met the inhabitants at the Tončka Hočevar Work and Safety Center and took the patients in care at the Fužine Adult Day Care Center to the zoo. We helped a colleague from Koroška, whose house burned down in 2007, in organizing the house and surroundings. Lek associates from Ljubljana and Lendava participated in the 15th Special Olympics for the Maribor-Pomurje region. Lek associates at every location in Slovenia also donated blood.
May 12 -15, 2008 |
Between 12 to 15 May, under the auspices of activities of the Slovenian Asthma and Sports Association, on the occasion of World Asthma Day, there was a cycling marathon For Better Breathing in which there were 11 Lek participants. The purpose of the campaign is to warn of the epidemic of asthma and allergies, to invite to lectures and hold workshops on successful preventative treatment against asthma, to encourage regular physical activities and to warn of the effects of an increasingly polluted environment.
15. 5. 2008 |
On May 15, we officially opened the new Quality Control Center in Verovškova, in Ljubljana. The Center supports the growth in sales and production at Sandoz as it provides double capacity for the planned, directed production of solid dosage forms and sterile pharmaceutical products in Lek. The new Quality Control Center will enable the realization of the straight manufacturing concept into laboratory practice and thereby a higher volume and better productivity will be possible.
3. 6. 2008 |
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the arrival of Tulip on the Slovenian market, we prepared a celebration in the marble room at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Center. At the gathering, in which around 300 doctors and pharmacist participated, top Slovenian experts, recognized at home and abroad, talked about the newest approaches and achievements in cardiologist and cardio surgery. On this occasion, we started a humanitarian campaign in Lek called Gift for Life, with which we offered funds for the purchase of re-animation cases for all public healthcare centers in Slovenia.
5. 6. 2008 |
On June 5, the 25th annual Slovenian national Clean Teeth and Healthy Food campaign was concluded at a final ceremony in Tivoli hall, organized by the Dental Section of the Slovenian Medical Association, together with the general sponsor Lek a Sandoz company, and Ilirija who took over the sponsorship upon the acquisition of Lek Kozmetika. More than 3,000 children from across Slovenia were gathered together.
Lekadol® is again the winner of the research 'Trusted brand'
July 2008 |
In June, Lekadol® became the winner of the research ‘Trusted brand’ for the second time. It won in two categories, namely as a pain reducing medicine and as a medicine for flu relief. Trust in the brand arises from the fact that Lekadol has been effectively and safely relieving various pains, and cold and virus aches for 17 years.
23. 7. 2008 |
On 23 June in Zambratija, Lek joined young holiday makers and representatives of the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia for the 10th consecutive year and carried out the humanitarian campaign “A Wink at the Sun” – enabling holidays for children and with the Kolenc family theatre we gave the children even more enjoyment.
August 28 – 30, 2008 |
At the Novartis BioCamp, which was held from August 28 to 30 in Basel, Switzerland, the expert panel of judges, led by the Head of Corporate Research at Novartis, Prof. Paul Herrling, selected Ljerka Lah from the Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana and Florian Kowalke from ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), among the 45 students from leading European universities, as being the best at solving the problem of how to transform scientific knowledge into a business plan.
29. 8. 2008 |
On August 29 in Maribor, children met for the last time before the start of the new school year and had fun with the Silly Olympics, which were organized by the Maribor Friends of the Youth Association. It has traditionally been organized by Lek pharmaceutical company, who has been organizing summer holidays for a number of years under the auspices of the “A Wink at the Sun” campaign.
Renovation of the sterile product manufacturing plant
September 2008 |
At the end of September, we completed the expansion of sterile lyophilized forms (lyophilizes) at the sterile product manufacturing plant. This will enable the sterile product unit to follow the demands of the fast growing and changing market. The project was completed as planned, within a very short period of time, thanks to all those involved.
For health from the heart – Heart Day 2008
25. 9. 2008 |
On the occasion of World Heart Day, which has been celebrated each last Sunday in September since 2000, the Cardiovascular Health Association of Slovenia and Lek, its long-term partner and supporter, prepared a number of activities throughout Slovenia. At the main event in Ljubljana, Lek associates were giving advice on better health, educational booklets on cardiovascular diseases and spun Lek’s wheel of Fortune luck. Lek also showed elderly people, who exercise in old people’s homes under Lek’s wings.
6. 10. 2008 |
‘Let’s listen to the children and do more for the dignity of each of them, for their self-respect and positive self-image. Let’s strengthen their voice in the family and in society. National institutions can and have to do more to protect children’s rights as set out in the Constitution, treaties and laws. They can’t hold up their tousled heads. This can only be done by those who truly love them’ said Dr Zdenka Čebašek - Travnik, Human Rights Ombudsman and Franc Hočevar, MSc., the president of the Slovenian Friends of the Youth Association, at the news conference on 6 October, during the Children’s Week, carried out under the title '“You need someone to love“.
Biopharmaceutical Development Center is richer by three new laboratories
22. 10. 2008 |
On October 22 in Mengeš, three new laboratories for the development of bioprocesses, isolation processes and protein cleaning were opened on a pilot scale, as well as the new analytical laboratory. All new laboratories at the Biopharmaceutical Development Center in Mengeš are a great acquisition for Lek and Sandoz since it is another additional strengthening of Sandoz’s leading position among other providers of similar biological medicine in the world.
Successfully completed FDA inspection in Lendava
November 6 – 11, 2008 |
Between November 6 and 11, the FDA conducted its inspections in Lendava. The purpose of the inspection was to confirm compliance with good manufacturing practice (GMP) in the production of potassium clavulanate. The inspection was successfully completed, without uncovering any deficiencies, which is an important achievement for Lek and, on a wider scale, for Sandoz as well.
Successfully completed inspection in Mengeš
November 13 and 14, 2008 |
On 13 and 14 November, the production in Mengeš was visited and inspected by the Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency. The purpose of the inspection was to examine the production of Vancomycin as a vertically integrated product. The inspection was also partially conducted in Ljubljana where they examined the production of a final product, and in Mengeš they were interested in the production of active ingredients. The outcome of the inspection is undoubtedly of great importance to Lek, especially for the Mengeš site as it strengthens the already well established presence of our products on the Japanese market.
24. 11. 2008 |
At the conference for Education Management 2008 which was organized by the company Planet GV in Bled, the winners of the TOP 10 – 2008 awards were declared - 10 Slovenian companies and organizations that systematically invest into and take care of the education and training of employees. The pharmaceutical company Lek was among the recipients of the recognition TOP 10 – 2008. According to the committee, Lek is among the 10 selected companies that show a direct connection between education and business strategy, systematically selected knowledge, provision of work experience and the acquisition of new knowledge, encouraging gaining and transferring knowledge and the availability of training for all employees.
A Lek researcher also won the VIVA 2008 award among the Sandoz scientists
26. 11. 2008 |
On November 26, leading Sandoz scientists were awarded Novartis global awards for research for the ninth consecutive time, in Holzkirchen. Among them was the Lek researcher Alekander Resman who, together with a team of colleagues performed excellent work in a patent dispute for pallet formulation of Omeprazol and therefore, helped Lek and Sandoz in winning the key appeal procedure.
1. 12. 2008 |
At the book fair in the beginning of December, as part of the Visitor’s Forum, Lek offered fairy-tale hours. For the second year, Lek, as the sponsor of the book fair, turned its attention to the youngest, to those who are just entering the world of reading and have to be given careful attention.
3. 12. 2008 |
On December 3, at the Faculty of Pharmacy, as part of the presentation of the Prešeren Awards to undergraduate students, five postgraduate students received awards for best research achievements in the past academic year. An award for one of the best Young Researchers went to Rade Injac, who works at Lek as a project development leader in the Development Center Slovenia.
17. 12. 2008 |
On December 17, representatives of Lek handed over a check for €10,000 to the Director of the Slovenj Gradec General Hospital, Dr. Janez Lavre, in order to cover some of the costs of the hospital for the purchase of a new multipurpose x-ray machine. This will enable them to perform more difficult cardiovascular examinations and operations, as well as examinations of the digestive and urinary tract, and to take x-rays of skeleton images.