Sandoz Scientists From Around the Globe Meet in Bled

  • Slovenia hosts Sandoz’s third Research and Development (R&D) Day for the first time
  • More than 150 leading Sandoz scientists from around the globe meet in Bled
  • Sandoz awards outstanding scientific achievements
13. 9. 2011

Sandoz’s third global R&D conference connects scientists from around the world, and provides a forum for sharing scientific knowledge and experiences. The goal of such mutual exchanges is to support the generation and implementation of new ideas in scientific development. »We also discussed new trends and novel technologies in the generics industry,« commented Prof. Dr. Uroš Urleb, Chief Scientific Officer at Sandoz Global Product Development, who also initiated and spearheads these meetings.

The three-day meeting in Bled focused on different areas of research and development in the generic pharmaceutical industry. »The opportunity to share and exchange knowledge particularly applies to research groups and is very important to maintaining Sandoz’s competitive edge. This allows us to save time and to be competitive, first-to-file and first-to-launch, increasing product development’s contribution to providing added value to our business,« said Prof. Dr. Uroš Urleb, commenting on the conference. In numerous workshops, plenary sessions and lectures, conference participants exchanged knowledge and good practices from various fields of research and development, including high-quality products and processes, biosimilar drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and development of final pharmaceutical forms.

»In developing generics, we apply the latest scientific and technological know-how, as well as knowledge from the innovative pharma sector; that is why one part of the conference was dedicated to these topics, as well. Events such as the Sandoz R&D Day enable us to promote an open dialog leading experts, encouraging communication and the exchange of knowledge, thereby improving and enhancing our capacity in development,« explained Prof. Dr. Urleb.

Sandoz Scientific Excellence Awards

At the conference, Sandoz also presented the Sandoz scientific excellence awards to a four of researchers for their outstanding and continued achievements in the field of R&D. These awards recognize and pay tribute to the remarkable accomplishments of top experts from various Sandoz development areas worldwide.

Jeff George, Global head of Sandoz, presented the awards for these outstanding and continued scientific achievements to: Drago Kuzman from Biopharmaceutical development center Mengeš, Breda Lučić from antiinfectives development Mengeš, Susanne Bartsch from Development center Kundl and Markus Wiedmann from Development center Holzkirchen.

Slovenian scientists have once again proven to be a key asset in the Sandoz and Novartis development network. In previous years, top Slovenian experts were also among award recipients, including Dr. Simona Jevševar, Dr. Zdenko Časar and Peter Mrak in 2010, Dr. Igor Legen in 2009, Dr. Aleksander Resman in 2008, Dr. Janez Kerč in 2007, and Dr. Anton Čopar and Dr. Rok Grahek in 2006.

Continued investments are further proof of the importance of Slovenian talent to the Sandoz global development network. From 2003 to today, Novartis has invested more than one billion Euros in Slovenia, nearly half of which has been dedicated to research and development. The number of development projects in Lek has since doubled.

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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 valid and enforceable third-party patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of approximately 1000 compounds and sells its products in about 130 countries. Key product groups include cardiovascular medicines, anti-infectives, treatments for central nervous system and alimentary tract disorders, oncology and respiratory therapies, as well as medications for blood and blood forming organ disorders. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances. 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 2010, Sandoz employed more than 23,000 people (full-time equivalents) worldwide and achieved net sales of USD 8,5 billion for the full year.

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, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2010, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 50.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.1 billion (USD 8.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges) was invested in R&D throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 119,000 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