Novartis organises a Volunteering Day to commemorate the creation of the company in 1996

More than 200 Lek associates dedicated a day to benefit the local community

  • Novartis associates around the world dedicated more than 200,000 working hours to support their local communities.
  • As a part of the Novartis Community Partnership Day, over 200 employees from Lek, a Sandoz group, and Novartis Pharma Slovenia participated in various voluntary activities.
  • Throughout Novartis, more than 25,000 employees were engaged in voluntary activities in their communities in different countries.
  • With the Community Partnership Day initiative Novartis wishes to stress its commitment to the principle of social responsibility in all counties where it operates, including Slovenia
10. 5. 2012

Today, Lek employes have for the eighth year running taken part in the celebration of Community Partnership Day, a global Novartis volunteering initiative. Over 200 employees from all locations in Slovenia offered their help to individuals and various organisations. Throughout Novartis, over 25,000 volunteers from 54 countries joined this year’s event, a 25 percent increase on the previous year.

This year employees from locations in Ljubljana, Mengeš, Lendava and Prevalje traditionally donated blood and once more paid special attention to children, youth and the elderly. They organised various educational workshops and field trips for school children in their respective local communities, entertained the elderly with social events and introduced them to the world of computers.

»The Community Partnership Day is for us, as a part of a leading global pharmaceutical company, of great importance. For eight years running we have been dedicating our full commitment to this event. Our primary mission is to help people and improve their quality of life. With the Community Partnership Day we are making one step further to directly reach those who need help or who would just appreciate support and encouragement by having nice day in good company. We usually spend a day in the company of different people, not only offering a support, but also helping to develop closer ties and relationships. In return, a sincere smile and a warm handshake at the end of the day is what counts the most and this year we certainly received much of that in large measure,« said Marjan Novak from Corporate Communication in Lek, who was engaged in the computer course for retired Lek associates.

Volunteers, including members of the Management Board, together with associates from Novartis Pharma Slovenia, organised various voluntary activities:

  • for residents of homes for the elderly in Ljubljana (Dravlje), Mengeu and Prevalje they prepared a special entertainment event;
  • The children with special needs at the Roje Primary School were taken on a day trip to the Ljubljana Zoo. By enabling the viewing of the location in Mengeš the associates helped children implement the project “The Earth was loaned to us by our children” and helped them elaborate an article on this;
  • for Lek’s retired employees they organised a course on digital photography editing;
  • they enabled a visit to viewe the Research Centre Slovenia to school pupils and students;
  • for children at the Lendava Bilingual Primary School II they organised a theme day on the subject of “air”;
  • in the hotel Lek in Kranjska Gora they hosted children from Polde Stražar Special Curriculum Primary School in Jesenice.

Volunteering Day is a Novartis global initiative

With the annual Community Partnership Day, an initiative replicated by Novartis Group company sites every year, Novartis symbolically commemorates the creation of one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in 1996. The main objective is to support various projects in local communities, social institutions and non-profitable organisations which need additional support for carrying out their activities, or to help individuals in need.

This year, globally, Novartis associates helped local communities in as many as 54 countries. Voluntary activities are selected with regard to local requirements – medical, environmental, social or material.

  • Over 4,400 employees in Switzerland took part in the activities within the Community Partnership Day. They served in various voluntary projects such as giving assistance in geriatric institutions, youth centres and to children with special needs. For young people they organised a workshop in which the presented, in more detail, work practices in the company and the opportunities for creating a business career.
  • In Spain, around 300 employees donated blood, and children with special needs enjoyed painting. Some essential works on local school premises were also carried out.
  • 270 employees in Vietnam donated 50 bicycles to children from the poorest districts of Ho Chi Minh city.
  • Employees in Senegal informed local inhabitants about healthy living and performed free blood pressure and blood sugar measuring. For all those whose results showed deviations from normal values, free counselling will be organised.
  • 130 Novartis employees in Portugal donated food items, clothes and products for personal hygiene to families in need. They also created a garden for the homeless and planted some vegetables.
  • In Taiwan, 180 employees prepared 14 different events for the elderly. For those who live alone, baskets of food were provided and free medical checks offered.
  • In Peru, around 150 employees helped with the renovation of a local school.
  • 300 associates from Turkey collaborated with the Make a Wish Foundation which helps children with incurable diseases. They also donated blood.
  • 500 associates from Egypt cleared and prepared ground and planted new plants around Cairo.
  • In Greece, 450 employees helped the local community provide for families in need. They also helped in the reconstruction of a rehabilitation centre for people with psychological and physical problems.
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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 2011, Sandoz employed more than 24,000 people (full-time equivalents) worldwide and achieved net sales of USD 9.5 billion for the full year. For more information, please visit www.sandoz.com.
Sandoz is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Sandoz_global at http://twitter.com/sandoz.

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2011, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 58.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.6 billion (USD 9.2 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges) was invested in R&D throughout the Group. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 124,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com.
Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis.

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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 additional information contact:
Marjan Novak
Corporate Communications
Lek Pharmaceuticals d. d.
Phone: +386 1 580 22 43
Fax: +386 1 580 24 32
komuniciranje.lek@sandoz.com