Lek opens a representative office in Lithuania
Lek opened a representative office in Lithuania, this being Lek’s twenty-fourth unit abroad. On this occasion Lek offered a donation to the Paediatrics Clinic in Vilnius for the purchase of a monitor for checking of the vital functions of newborns, thereby demonstrating its concern to improve the quality of life in the countries where it is conducting business.
In the highly competitive Lithuanian market (the pharmaceutical market volume is $142 million) Lek’s presence goes back to the times of the former Soviet Union. After this republic had gained independence, Lek started to build up its presence first with a network of medical representatives, which has now culminated in a new representative office employing ten highly skilled experts and covering the Latvian and Lithuanian markets.
According to recent IMS data, successfully planned and conducted marketing activities have improved Lek’s position from 27th to 19th among the best performing pharmaceutical companies in the Lithuanian market where, besides small- and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies, multinational companies are also present.
In Lithuania, where drug consumption per capita amounts to USD 45 (compared to Russia, where drug consumption per capita before last year’s August crisis amounted to $14 and to the Ukraine with $6) and can thus be compared to the highly developed Polish market, Lek is mainly marketing pharmaceutical products while planning operations covering other programmes (Lek’s OTC, cosmetic and veterinary programmes).
Initially, Lek’s product portfolio for marketing in the Lithuanian market was identical to that in the Russian Federation and other countries of the former Soviet Union; with the onset of activities of the medical representatives team, however, special local marketing characteristics started to develop, later on influencing the formation of a new marketing portfolio which mostly includes advanced pharmaceutical chemicals and products. Lek’s most profitable product in the Lithuanian market is the antibiotic AmoksiklavŽ which is a combination of amoxycillin and clavulanic acid used in the treatment of children and adults.
During yesterday’s opening ceremony, the Lithuanian Minister of Health, Mr. Laurynas M. Stankevichius, pointed out that Lek consolidated its presence in this market mostly by strictly considering the cost-effectiveness of therapy, i.e. by providing the most advanced high quality drugs at affordable prices.
For the future Lek is planning to open a representative office in Latvia, and to realize a turnover of $10 million in the Baltic market until the year 2003.