In 2019, Novartis Slovenia significantly contributed to a successful global operation of the company through outstanding work in development, production and services

Last year, the company also developed and filed numerous drug product dossiers in the demanding foreign markets, launched important medicines on the Slovenian market and achieved an increase in the total production volume. With all its divisions, Novartis is the leading provider of medicines on the Slovenian pharmaceutical market, with the largest market share of 14.3%. The company remains the largest provider of generic OTC products in Slovenia with a market share of 26% and enables Slovenian patients to be treated with the largest range of seven biosimilars. Our key values – collaboration, agility and empowerment – allow outstanding Novartis experts to globally collaborate on a number of R&D projects, using new technologies, innovations and digitization. By doing so, they contribute to the success of the global company and help the long-term vision of Novartis.

By continuing the optimization and adjustment of our manufacturing network across Slovenia, they have been successfully implementing Novartis strategy of focusing on personalized, patient-friendly medicines in small quantities, high-value medicines and biosimilars. Pursuant to this strategy, they published a plan to transform Prevalje location from a production site into a part of the newly established Global Operations Center (GOC) in Slovenia. The main purpose of the GOC, which will be a part of Novartis Technical Operations and will be located at different sites in Slovenia, is to provide standardized, high quality services for the worldwide Novartis production network. The center will provide major global services, including: logistics and supply chain management, engineering, production technology and quality control.

Key business highlights of 2019:

• In 2019, the Development Center Slovenia, a leading development center in Sandoz, completed the development and filed 21 drug product dossiers in the fields of anemia, oncology, rheumatology, anti-infectives, diabetes and potency disorders for medicines on the markets of Japan, Europe, USA , China, Canada, Brazil and Russia. Sandoz has successfully launched several products that have been developed in Slovenia, from the fields of anti-infectives in Canada and Europe, nasal spray for allergy treatment in Russia, cholesterol control drug in China and a medicine for the treatment of stomach diseases in the United States.

• There are a number of projects underway at Biologics Technical Development Mengeš in the field of innovative biologics and biosimilars in various stages of development.

• In 2019, total production output growth was achieved. Medicines manufactured in Slovenia are marketed worldwide through a wide Sandoz and Novartis sales network. Some key medicines also contain active substances that were developed and manufactured at our sites.

• 813 new product launches were carried out in 88 markets worldwide, including the launch of innovative drugs from Slovenian locations.

• Since 2003, Novartis invested more than EUR 2.5 billion in Slovenia, with more than half of that amount allocated to development investments, while the remaining funds were allocated to upgrade and broaden production capacities.

• In September, the Development Center Slovenia opened new development laboratories, which will also be used to develop demanding solid and sterile dosage forms for treatment of oncological diseases. The EUR 7.5 million investment has further strengthened the importance of the development center within Sandoz.

• In December, the Development Center Slovenia opened its first fully automated analytical laboratory. It is intended for fully automated preparation and analysis of finished product samples and is the largest laboratory of its kind in Novartis. With an investment of EUR 1 million dedicated to the Development Center Slovenia in Ljubljana, Novartis continues to invest in Slovenia.

• At the end of 2019, Lendava site set up three new high-performance and technologically advanced packaging lines for blister packs and thus became the largest Novartis production site with a total of 26 lines for packaging solids of generic and innovative portfolio. The total investment into the site in 2019 exceeded EUR 10 million.

• In 2019, the company hired 496 full-time employees. At the end of the year, Novartis Slovenia had more than 4400 full-time employees. Among them are 530 employees with a MA or a PhD. In the last 8 years, the company hired over 2700 employees. Last year, we continued to pursue innovative HR practices, such as Regional BioCamp, Novartis Career Breakfast and the first Novartis business career event, intended for those who wish to change their career path and become part of one of the best Slovenian and global employers.

• In 2019, the work of Novartis employees in Slovenia received numerous awards and recognitions:

• Lek has received the prestigious title of the most reputable employer. This title has been bestowed to Slovenian employers by the recruitment portal MojeDelo.com for nine consecutive years.

• The highest Novartis Scientific Award – the      Distinguished Scientist Award – was received by Matej Horvat, PhD, Head of Predictive Analytics and Modelling at Biologics Technical Development Mengeš. The Leading Scientist Award was presented to researchers Ivana Gazić Smilović, PhD, Andrej Bastarda, and Damjan Šterk, PhD, from the Sandoz Development Center Slovenia.
• Associates from the Sandoz Development Center Slovenia and Biologics Technical Development Mengeš have received nine Sandoz awards for research and development. Sandoz annually presents also the scientific excellence awards to their associates for long-term outstanding achievements in research and development. In 2019, both awards went to Slovenian scientists, Barbara Podobnik, PhD from the Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, and Biljana Janković, PhD from the Development Center Slovenia.

• Lek was awarded two golden national awards for innovation by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

• Lek and its development partners (the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Pharmacy) received the TARAS award for the best collaborative project in industry for the project Artificial Stomach.

• Vesna Stergar, PhD, from the Drug substance bioproduction Mengeš, and Dušan Teslić, PhD, from the Development Center Slovenia, have received the Prometheus in Science Award for Communication Excellency. Zlatko Pflaum, PhD, from Drug substance bioproduction Mengeš, received a special honorary title of the Star of the Slovenian Science Festival

• Novartis consolidated its leading position in the Slovenian pharmaceutical market with a 14.3% market share, increasing it by 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.

• In 2019, Lek increased its market share by 0.6 percentage points to 30.2 percent on the Slovenian generics pharmaceutical market.

  • Lek also maintained and consolidated its position as the second largest provider of prescription medicines with a market share of 24.1%, making it the leading provider of medicines for infections, iron deficiency and erectile dysfunction.

  • Lek additionally strengthened its leading position in the field of oncology with the new product Lenalidomid Sandoz.

  • Lek enables Slovenian patients to be treated with the largest range of seven biosimilars, thus contributing to greater accessibility to modern biological medicines as a leading provider of biosimilars.

  • It remains the largest provider of over-the-counter medicines in Slovenia with a market share of 26% in 2019.

• Compared to the previous year, Novartis Pharmaceuticals achieved a 9.9% growth in sales, mainly based on key medicines in the fields of cardiology, dermatology, rheumatology and ophthalmology (Entresto, Cosentyx and Lucentis). In 2019, they have successfully introduced to the Slovenian market a new drug for the preventive treatment of migraine (Aimovig), which has been available to Slovenian patients by prescription since the beginning of this year. This year, they are actively preparing for new launches in the fields of neurology, ophthalmology and cardiology.

• In 2019, Novartis Oncology exceeded its sales targets by 12% in sales volume. In June, they set a new milestone in collaboration with the University Medical Centre Ljubljana and the Slovenian Institute for Transfusion Medicine, enabling Slovenian patients to be among the first in the world to be treated for certain forms of blood cancer using a revolutionizing method that uses patient's own modified T lymphocytes (CAR-T or Kymriah). In addition, they provided Slovenian patients with free access to four new treatments for lung, breast and various types of blood cancer.

• In 2019, Sandoz d.d. in Slovenia, which manages Sandoz export sales activities, provided access to high quality medicines for patients in more than 70 countries worldwide with a portfolio of more than 4400 products. Novartis globally recognized their quality management system as an excellent model, so they established a quality management center for export markets in Slovenia for Novartis's cross-divisonal support of all export markets (74 countries worldwide).

• Novartis' responsible environmental business strategy with ambitious goals for 2025 and 2030 on climate neutrality, circular economy, plastic neutrality and sustainable water use, confirms our intensive efforts to prevent and reduce environmental impacts. In 2019, those goals were recognized by certified environmental verifiers by the requirements of ISO 14001: 2015 and ES122 / 2009 as amended (EMAS). Continuous improvements in the established system of management of occupational safety and health in accordance with ISO 45001: 2018 were also recognized.

• In 2019, Lek successfully passed the most demanding inspection by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at two locations (Ljubljana and Lendava). With these inspections and many other successfully completed national and international assesments, the company reaffirmed its awareness of the importance of maintaining high quality, as this is the only way to ensure the patients receive safe and effective treatments.

• Social responsibility and networking with educational institutions is part of our daily work:

  • At the end of 2019, Lek made a donation to Pediatrics Division of the University Medical Center Maribor for the purchase of a respirator that will provide the state-of-the-art care for young patients at risk.

  • More than 700 Novartis associates from Ljubljana, Mengeš, Lendava and Prevalje participated in over 25 different activities and projects. In the 15 years of volunteer work, Novartis associates in Slovenia have devoted more than 41,200 hours of volunteering work to the local community.

  • For the fourth year in a row, Novartis Pharmaceutical supported the European Patient Innovation Summit 2019. The main topic of this year's meeting was to search for effective approaches that actively involve patients in the design of digital health solutions. Representatives of more than 10 Slovenian Patient Associations joined the discussions.

  • With the support of scientific institutions, Novartis Slovenia celebrated the World Science Day for Peace and Development by organizing the Scientists Day. Over 70 Lek scientists and Slovenian academic institutions disclosed the latest research achievements and discussed ways to further enhance the collaboration between the academic sphere and the economy.

  • Last year, Lek signed a declaration of Commitment to Business and Human Rights, which reaffirms its commitment to respecting and protecting human rights and freedoms.

  • In June, Novartis Slovenia raised a rainbow flag in front of its headquarters in Ljubljana to mark Pride month and the Pride parade, which took place in Ljubljana and Maribor.

• Last year was also marked by a change of management. Robert Ljoljo was appointed President of the Board of Management and Novartis Slovenia Country President, succeeding Zvone Bogdanovski after his retirement. The Supervisory Board of Lek appointed a new Board of Management for the period of five years, which now consists of: Ivan Ďurovčík, Head Finance, Ksenija Butenko Černe, Head Legal, Prof. Uroš Urleb, PhD, Global Head Technical Development Biosimilars at Novartis and Site Head Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, Raul Intriago Lombeida, Global Head Novartis Operations Centers for Novartis Technical Operations, Andrej Pardo, Cluster II Head Region Europe at Sandoz, and Marjan Novak, Worker’s Director.