Last year, Lek, a Sandoz company, created more than 90 new jobs at Mengeš

The Mengeš site of Lek, a Sandoz company, has been continuously growing and developing for 70 years. It is a development and production center of Sandoz, responsible for complex active ingredients and biosimilars that are sold around the world. In total, more than 900 associates work at Mengeš and as many as 40 percent come from the region (Domžale, Kamnik, Mengeš, Trzin). This places Lek among the major employers in the region.

Development and production of pharmaceutical ingredients in Mengeš play an important role within Sandoz Novartis

»The Mengeš site consists of two key units: development and manufacture of active ingredients and development and manufacture of biosimilars. A minor part of the production is still based on plant extracts; finished products (probiotics) are also manufactured. In addition, the Mengeš site also features quality control and support operations such as maintenance and energy generation, warehousing and logistics, the department for health, safety end environment management, and the fire service,« explained Egidij Capuder, Head Production of Pharmaceutical Ingredients Mengeš.

The production of pharmaceutical ingredients at the Mengeš site started seven decades ago. Today, more than 20 different pharmaceutical ingredients for Sandoz and Novartis medicinal products that are shipped to more than 160 global markets, are manufactured at Mengeš.

Novartis is aware of the importance of the Mengeš facilities; therefore, it has invested in the Mengeš site to date more than 120 million Euros in the production of pharmaceutical ingredients and more than 64 million Euros in biopharmaceuticals.

Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš – the only industrial center for modern biotechnology in Slovenia

Biopharmaceutics is the latest and the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry offering new options for the treatment of a number of complex diseases. Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš, which is a key part of Sandoz Novartis biopharmaceuticals, employs more than 350 experts. 80 percent of those have a university degree or higher, as many as 34 percent hold a master’s degree or a doctorate in science.

»The Mengeš site is included in the development of all Sandoz biosimilars and manufactures the pharmaceutical ingredient erythropoietin alpha. With the latest investment in 2015, worth a good 10 million Euros, we gained new laboratories for protein analytics, development of finished biopharmaceutical forms and biophysics of proteins. This will additionally reinforce our role as an important development and production site for biopharmaceuticals within Sandoz and Novartis,« explained Matjaž Oven, Site Head Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš.

Enhancing cooperation with the local community

The operation of Lek, a Sandoz company, is based on a long-term strategy that includes socially responsible activities in all areas of operation, including active engagement in the local community. For many years, Lek, a Sandoz company, has been supporting different associations and organizations in the local community both in Mengeš as well as across the region, including the Mengeš Home for the Elderly, the Sožitje Mengeš Association, CIRIUS Kamnik and nearby voluntary fire-fighting associations (Mengeš, Topole, Loka pri Mengšu, Homec, Jarše), primary school and kindergarten programs (Mengeš, Preserje pri Radomljah, Roje, Mengeš Kindergarten, Rudolf Maister Education Center). Every year, Lek’s voluntary fire fighters participate in the Fire Prevention Month, and every year the associates take part in the Community Partnership Day dedicating their time to help people from the local environment – in Mengeš they usually visit the Home for the Elderly and organize a fun day for the students of the Roje Primary School.

Comprehensive management of environmental impact and environmental investments

With regard to environmental performance, the fundamental approach of Sandoz is to prevent all types of pollution. They minimize the environmental, health and safety risks that could affect the environment, employees and the local population. The Mengeš site continuously invests in advanced environmental technologies and implementation of environmental policy and continues to pursue the company’s key environmental objectives. In doing so, it complies with the statutory provisions, as a minimum, and in particular develops good environmental practice.

When limiting the impact on the environment, the Mengeš site places emphasis on improving the efficiency of water use and energy efficiency, increasing the efficiency of waste management and the reduction of emissions of atmospheric volatile organic compounds. In 2014, the water consumption per unit of product was reduced by 7% compared with the previous year; total emissions of volatile compounds were reduced also by 16%. Compared to 2010, total emissions of volatile compounds were reduced by as much as 67%, the efficiency of water use per tonne of product was increased by 3%, and energy efficiency by 12%.

In the last few years they:

• continued projects aimed at reducing atmospheric emissions and carried out additional redirection of emissions from production plants to a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer – RTO) at the Mengeš site;
• further reduced environmental impacts by installing the device for efficient removal of pharmaceutical ingredients from wastewater using ozone;
• with more intensive separation, reduced the volume of municipal waste to be disposed of;
• restructured and partially repaired the sewage network at Ljubljana, Lendava and Mengeš sites and repaired or replaced old oil-traps with new ones that conform with the SIST EN 858-2 standard;
• installed a new steam boiler for generating steam with better thermal efficiency (flue gas recovery) at the Mengeš site. The boiler has the option of co-incineration of non-halogenated waste solvents with a high calorific value.

For environmental investments Lek, a Sandoz company, dedicated in total 2.9 million Euros in 2014.

You can read more on this in the Sustainability report 2014 – Lek d.d. on Lek website here.