Lek scientists once again win top innovation awards
- Lek, a Sandoz company, has received the gold and bronze national award for innovative achievements, which are awarded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.
- The company received the National Gold Award for the development of sugammadex, an injection solution used for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade after anesthesia. They were also awarded the Silver/Bronze award for the development of a new process for the production of potassium clavulanate.
- Lek, a Sandoz company, has been one of the most innovative companies in Slovenia for many years. Lek's experts have been the recipients of a total of 14 gold awards in the 21 years since the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia started giving national awards for innovation.
Yesterday,the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia presented awards for the bestinnovations in the country. Atthe Innovation Day held at Brdo pri Kranju, Lek received a gold and a bronzeaward among the 46 best innovations at national level.
Innovation and development are at the very core of Lek's operations. The latest investments are also aimed at expanding development capabilities and strengthening Slovenia's role as one of Sandoz's key sites for the development of generic and biosimilar medicines. "The environment in which the pharmaceutical sector operates is changing rapidly. This is why successful companies are focusing their resources on research, high-tech solutions, the development of modern medicines and, above all, on improving their accessibility for patients. I am delighted that scientists from Slovenia are also making an important contribution to this through their outstanding work," said Robert Ljoljo, President of the Lek d.d. Board of Management and Sandoz Country President Slovenia, at the award ceremony.
The National Gold Award was awarded to sugammadex, an injection solution used for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade after anesthesia. This complex active ingredient is obtained through an extremely demanding synthesis process and represents a challenge for the development of a safe, effective and high-quality pharmaceutical product. Špela Zakšek, Project Manager at Sandoz Development Center Slovenia, commented: "This award is a strong acknowledgement of the many years of effort that we at Sandoz Development Center Slovenia have invested in the development of this highly complex product. Through innovative development approaches, our experts were among the first to develop and successfully register this generic medicine, providing patients around the world with rapid access to a safe, effective and high-quality generic medicine."
The Bronze National Award was awarded for the successful introduction of a new process for the production of potassium clavulanate, which has made a significant contribution to energy efficiency and the protection of the environment and the health of our employees. "The innovation is the result of our company's culture of creativity and teamwork. At Lek, we are constantly promoting a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, through which we strive to modernize our processes and make them more people-friendly, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact," explained Peter Pečelin, Head of Potassium Clavulanate Isolation at Anti-Infectives Lendava.
Lek, a Sandoz company, is the first and oldest pharmaceutical companyin Slovenia, developing, manufacturing and marketing effective, safe andhigh-quality generic and biosimilar medicines for patients around the world.Our work is guided by strong ethical standards, innovative thinking and thebreakthrough achievements of our world-class professionals. With more than 3700associates, we have been actively co-creating the Slovenian, European andglobal research and development landscape for decades. We are building aculture of open dialogue and proudly and responsibly hold the title of the mostrespected employer in Slovenia.
Sandoz
Novartis' Sandoz division is the world leader in generic and biosimilarmedicines. Our mission is pioneering access for patients by developing andcommercializing new, affordable medicines. Our goal is to become the world'sleading and most respected generic pharmaceutical company. Our broad pipelineof products includes high-quality medicines covering all major therapeuticareas.
Thepress release contains statements and forecasts about future business. Theforecasts include estimates based on all the information currently available tous. If the assumptions in these forecasts prove to be unreliable, actualresults of operations could differ from those anticipated.
Forfurther information, please contact:
GregorMakuc
Corporate Affairs
Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.
Telephone: 01 580 22 43
gregor.makuc@sandoz.com