Highlights in the Year 2009
13. 1. 2009 |
A joint campaign by Lek, a Sandoz company, and the Slovene Chamber of Pharmacies "Help, Revive, Save Lives!" started in January, the purpose of which is to increase public awareness about the importance of first aid for sudden heart stoppage. As part of the campaign, Lek, a Sandoz company, will sponsor the purchase of 16 automated external defibrillators, and pharmacies will help train pharmacists in providing first aid for sudden heart stoppages. The total cost of the “Help, Revive, Save Lives!” campaign is approximately €50,000 and selected pharmacies throughout Slovenia have received the defibrillators.
22. 1. 2009 |
On 22 January at the 4th annual EFFIE Slovenian Communications Festival, Lek won a gold medal for its advertising campaign “Lekadol plus C, stomach friendly, heart friendly, with lots of vitamin C.” The Effie Awards for effective communications are presented every other year by the Slovenian Advertising Chamber and a total of eight awards are presented every year. “This award means a lot to us, since it proves that we chose the right creative, communications and media strategy,” said Irena Lukančič and Suzana Novak, who are together with associates responsible for the success.
26. 1. 2009 |
Lek in cooperation with the Asthma and Sports Association, BTC and the ultra-marathon cyclist Marko Baloh held the 4th annual charity spinning marathon to help children with asthma. Marko, who overcame asthma as a child and encountered it again as an adult, was joined at the 10-hour spinning marathon on stationary bikes by some of his athlete friends including a team of Lek cyclists with whom Marko Baloh rode around all of Slovenia last year as part of an asthma awareness campaign.
3. 3. 2009 |
The University of Ljubljana and several of the most successful Slovenian companies, including Lek, signed agreements on a strategic partnership within the context of solving the current development issues of the economy and society. In doing so, the signatories wished to give a clear signal that they are prepared to and capable of using their combined strengths to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the economic crisis. On behalf of Lek, the agreement on a strategic partnership within the context of solving the current development issues of the economy and society was signed by Darija Brečevič, a member of the Lek Board of Management and the Head of Human Resources.
31. 3. 2009 |
The humanitarian concert For a Happier Childhood started the “A WINK AT THE SUN“– Free Holidays for Every Child humanitarian campaign. With this campaign the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia (FYAS), for the 11th year in a row, encourages good people to contribute to the children’s holidays fund as much as they are able to as these children would otherwise stay at home, be left alone and on the streets because their families are facing social deprivation. The initiative has had the support of Lek, a Sandoz company, for all these years and so far over 7,000 children from all over Slovenia have been the recipients of such holidays.
15. 4. 2009 |
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, in cooperation with Lek, a Sandoz company, has published an electronic version of the 4th edition of the Slovenian Medical e-Dictionary. The dictionary was issued in April and is accessible free of charge for the first time to all internet users on Lek’s website www.lek.si/medicinski-slovar. The Dictionary includes over 67,000 words and phrases in the fields of medicine, biomedicine and associated disciplines, and was prepared by more than 100 experts.
23. 4. 2009 |
On April 23, Lek, a Sandoz company, together with Novartis Pharma associates in Slovenia, held its fifth annual Community Partnership Day. More than 180 Sandoz and Novartis associates in Slovenia joined thousands of other Novartis associates worldwide who took part in the Community Partnership Day as volunteers by engaging in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities. With this initiative, Novartis emphasizes its strong commitment to support projects in local communities, social institutions, and non-profit-making organizations which are in accord with Novartis' realization of its Corporate Citizenship.
5. 5. 2009 |
The theme of this year’s World Asthma Day is “You Can Control Your Asthma”. On this day, the Asthma and Sports Association wants to especially emphasis the importance of a healthy lifestyle and physical activity for a better life with asthma, since this is the best way to help control the disease. Also this year, Lek joined the campaign with its For Better Breathing cycling marathon. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about asthma and allergies, promote regular exercise and warn against the effects of an increasingly polluted environment.
12. 5. 2009 |
Between May 12 to 15, Lek’s second For Better Breathing cycling marathon, which the Asthma and Sports Association is organizing in cooperation with Lek, a Sandoz company, with the purpose of bringing attention to the importance of physical activity for a better life with asthma. A team of 11 cyclists from Lek with ultra-marathon cyclist Marko Baloh at the head rode around 650 kilometers in four days. Their route took them from Kranjska Gora through Prevalje, Moravci, Lendava, Rogaška Slatina and back to Ljubljana. They were followed by a team from the Asthma and Sport Associations, organized throughout Slovenia by the Asthma School for Children.
26. 5. 2009 |
During Chemical Safety Week, which was organized by the Chemicals Office of the Republic of Slovenia and held from May 25 to 29, 2009, the Association of Chemical Industries of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry gave to Lek, a Sandoz company, a certificate for their Responsible Care program. Today, Responsible Care is an integral part of operations in the chemical industry and Lek, a Sandoz company, follows the guidelines for sustainable development, which are a condition for the sustainable development of the company. We take into account Novartis guidelines, healthcare, safety and environmental legislative requirements, and the principle of sustainable operations.
Women awareness campaign on the early detection of breast cancer
2. 6. 2009 |
In the second week of June, The Slovenian Breast Cancer coalition Europa Donna and the supporter of the campaign for the Lekadol brand was promoted whose purpose is to create awareness in women of the importance of the self-examination of their breasts for the early detection of breast cancer. To this end, 1,200 pharmacists across Slovenia wore the Lekadol T-shirt “ZaUPANJE čutim” (I feel trust/HOPE) which shows how a woman can simply self-examine her breasts. Each visitor was able to take a special leaflet for everyday use which explained in detail the procedure for self-examining breasts. Representatives of Europa Donna demonstrated self-examinations on a breast model at certain pharmacies.
3. 6. 2009 |
In 2006, UNICEF started the project Speak Up! Let's Talk about Violence among Children, which for the second year running has been organised by Lek with the objective of bringing attention to peer violence in schools. It involves 11 elementary schools who set up protective networks that form a part of the endeavors of the project. Pupils of participating elementary schools presented their views on peer violence, how they deal with it and what has changed at their schools since they have been participating in this project.
4. 6. 2009 |
On June 1 2009, Bojan Dolenc took over the position of the Head of Lek Prevalje, who was until now the Head of Solid Forms Production at Lek in Ljubljana. He succeeded Zlatko Ajd, who after 13 years of successfully directing Lek Prevalje and a total of almost 30 years working for Lek in Slovenia has assumed the leadership of the Sandoz plant in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A WINK AT THE SUN in the 11th Year
15. 7. 2009 |
The Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia (FYAS) and the Lek Pharmaceutical Company are for the 11th year in a row cooperating in the 'A Wink at the Sun' humanitarian campaign, which so far has helped around 7,000 children to have a holiday and this year the number was increased by a further 700 children. During the holidays the children, who are in a friendly environment, strengthen their health and improve their wellbeing through exciting programs and friendly teachers, carers and expert workers.
24. 8. 2009 |
The Novartis European Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) gives 45 university students from 17 European countries direct access to biotechnology and drug discovery, and cooperation with world leaders in this field. They show the best European students their continuous efforts for stimulating research and initiatives with a new laboratory concept called Lab of the Future. Such laboratories include a flexible work environment, modular furniture for rapidly changing needs of work groups and cutting edge technology to support communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhanced innovation in Novartis research.
28. 8. 2009 |
Children gathered for the last time before the new school year and were treated to the Silly Olympics by the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia and to the annual Lek Games by Lek, a Sandoz company, which they have held for several years as part of the “A Wink at the Sun” holidays. The Kolenc family theatre added more fun to the day full of sports events, ensuring everyone had a happy and memorable end to the holidays.
4. 9. 2009 |
On September 28, the 28th Biennial of Graphic Arts whose traditional supporter is Lek as it has been working with the International Center for Graphic Arts for seven years and has donated over €56,000 for its programs and events. The 28th Biennial of Graphic Arts is a complex exhibition with a long tradition of showing a number of exhibitions and events. This is not only a significant cultural event but also an example of cooperation between business and art.
24. 9. 2009 |
At the end of September we officially opened the new Lendava Packaging Center, which will supply European markets with pharmaceutical products from Sandoz plants all over the world. With this investment, Sandoz continues its investments in Slovenia and confirms the value of the Lendava site, which is an important production center for selected active pharmaceutical ingredients for the global markets. The investment amounted to €13 million and features environmentally friendly technology and currently has 35 employees.
Lekadol® again confirms consumer trust
1. 10. 2009 |
Lekadol, for the third consecutive year, wins the Trusted Brand award in the categories of anti-pain tablets and tablets for the relief of flu. Lekadol has been the most recognized Lek trademark for a number of years, as its recognition in its target group is 100 per cent. This award confirms that Lekadol is a trustworthy Slovenian brand which has been present on our market for over 20 years. 'Patient needs are always the focus of our efforts and this Trusted award is the most important recognition of our work and the motivation for future development' said Tatjana Klančnik Breznikar, Head of OTC in Slovenia.
Lek supports activities during Children's Week
5. 10. 2009 |
Children's Week is a program of the Association of Friends of Youth of Slovenia which has become generally accepted in Slovenian society and this year it is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is for children and the elderly, as well as in order to bring more attention during this week to questions concerning the position of a child in society and the realization of their rights, as protected by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, other international treaties, and the Slovenian constitution and laws. At the end of Children’s Week, Lek Pharmaceutical Company, a Sandoz company, gave to the Association of Friends of Youth of Slovenia a check in the amount of €15,000 for its activities in 2009, including the activities at the end of Children’s Week.
Lek again receives a TOP 10 award for investments in employee education
20. 11. 2009 |
At the conference for Education Management 2008, which was organized by the company Planet GV, the winners of the TOP 10 Education Management 2009 were announced. This award is given to the 10 best Slovenian companies and organizations that systematically invest into and take care of the education and training of employees. The purpose of the awards is to present the best practices of Slovenian companies that systematically invest in knowledge, and to be an incentive for the faster development of educational practice and a better respect for education. The call TOP 10 was organized for the ninth year and Lek Pharmaceutical Company, a Sandoz company, was the winner for the eighth time.