Lek receives full Family Friendly Company certificate

10. 12. 2010

Lek, a Sandoz company, received a full Family Friendly Company certificate today, confirming its commitment to helping its associates balance their professional and private lives, which it first demonstrated in 2007 when it received the first-level certificate. In awarding these certificates, the Ekvilib Institute and the Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Affairs are endeavoring to communicate positive messages to the public and expand a positive culture and corporate citizenship.

Lek was one of the first companies in Slovenia to receive a Family Friendly Company certificate in 2007, and by receiving a full certificate Lek has demonstrated that over the last three years they have consistently followed the guidelines and requirements which are the preconditions for obtaining the certificate. The full Family Friendly Company certificate was handed by the Minister of Labor, Family and Social Affairs Dr. Ivan Svetlik, President of the FFC Revisory Council Dr. Nevenka Černigoj Sadar and Head of the Ekvilib Institute Aleš Kranjc Kušlan to Head of Human Resources and Member of the Lek Board of Management Samo Roš: “We are proud to be one of the recipients of the full certificate today. At Lek we are aware that with today’s increasingly demanding tempo of life, it is difficult for employees to balance their work and family. Therefore we want to make our employees’ work atmosphere as friendly and pleasant as possible. Within the framework of this initiative we have passed a series of measures which allow families to create a more effective balance between their professional and private lives. This award also confirms our implementation of the goals we have set in one of the four areas of our company’s global corporate citizenship strategy.”

The Family Friendly Company certificate includes numerous measures, of which each company undertakes to implement at least three. Lek undertook to consistently apply 13 measures or areas in which it strives to provide a healthy environment and the wellbeing of its associates at the workplace. These areas are: a fixed number of hours with a choice of arrival and departure times, a time account, associates’ meetings, communications with associates, opinion research among associates, an information and communications policy, appointment of a work-life balance officer, company open house day, management training and skills, promotion of equal opportunities, supervision and additional activities for school children during holidays, assistance in caring for family members, raising public awareness of the importance of balancing professional and private life.

In addition to Lek, the following companies also received permanent Family Friendly Company certificates: AJM, Golnik Hospital, Družina, Helios, Infotehna, Mercator, Mikro + Polo, mimovrste, Domenca, Planet GV, Sava, Racio, Si.mobil, e-Študentski Servis, Unija, Ydria Motors and the Maribor Insurance Company.

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Lek, a Sandoz company, is one of the pillars of leading world generics company Sandoz. Its role within Sandoz is to act as: a global development center for products and technologies; a global manufacturing center for active pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines; a competence center for the development of vertically integrated products; a Sandoz competence center in the field of development and manufacturing of biosimilar products; and, a supply center for the markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), South East Europe (SEE) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and it is responsible for sales on the Slovenian market. For further information please visit http://www.lek.si/eng/.

Sandoz, a Division of the Novartis group, is a global leader in the field of generic pharmaceuticals, offering a wide array of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of approximately 1000 compounds and sells its products in more than 130 countries. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany), Eon Labs (US), EBEWE Pharma (Austria) and Oriel Therapeutics (US). In 2009, Sandoz employed around 23,000 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 7.5 billion. For further information please visit www.sandoz.com.

Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2009, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 44.3 billion, while approximately USD 7.5 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com

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This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.

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For further information contact:
Katarina Klemenc
Corporate Communications
Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.
Phone: + 386 1 580 22 43
Fax: + 386 1 580 24 32
communications.lek@sandoz.com