Lek marks Human Rights Day

  • On 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which has today been celebrated also by Lek. 
  • The global company Novartis, that brings together associates from more than 30 countries, has incorporated respect and protection of human rights into the fundamental principles of business practices of the company and all its members. 
  • This year, Lek signed a declaration of Commitment to Business and Human Rights and became, along with Novartis, a fully committed member in the field of human rights. 
10. 12. 2019

Today, Lek, a Novartis company, marked Human Rights Day. Throughout the last two decades, Novartis has been consistently reaffirming its commitment to respecting and protecting human rights and freedoms. In such a large and diverse company with associates in 30 countries who represent more than 140 nationalities and speak many different languages, human rights are one of the most important principles that bring the company together.

In May this year, Lek was among ten major Slovenian enterprises that signed a declaration of Commitment to Business and Human Rights that entails the integration of the respect for human rights within the fundamental principles of a company. Thereby, Lek follows the efforts of Novartis, which is already fully committed and continues to build upon its business practices and expectations towards respecting human rights and integrity both internally in relationships between the associates as well as externally in relation to external stakeholders. By signing the declaration, Lek has also committed to appointing a human rights guardian within the company, carrying out careful reviews in order to identify potential violation of human rights, regular disclosing in annual reports and encouraging a respect for human rights also with business partners. The declaration is based on the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that was adopted on this day back in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly and other relevant international documents with regard to human rights in business activities. 

»At Novartis and accordingly also at Lek, responsible business conduct and respect for human rights are already enshrined in the company’s business foundation and through different approaches delivered on a daily basis. Based on the respect for human rights, we also conceive and establish the trust of our stakeholders, especially patients. By signing the Commitment to Business and Human Rights this year, we have further advanced our activities in this direction, while at the same time we  demonstrate the maturity and integrity of our company at all levels,« said Ksenija Butenko Černe, Head Legal and a member of the Lek Board of Management.

* * *

Novartis is the leading provider of medicines in Slovenia, where Lek, Novartis Pharma Services and Sandoz, operate. Together we are building and maintaining the reputation of a dynamic, ethical, and trusted pharmaceutical company. Lek develops, manufactures, and markets effective, safe, and high quality medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients. With our knowledge, quality, and experience we have gained an important role in Novartis' organizational structure, especially in the Novartis Technical Operations, Global Drug Development, Novartis Business Services, and the generic division Sandoz. We are the leading Sandoz development center, and one of the key development sites for technologically complex projects. We invest a great deal in the development, education, and training of our employees. Over the last seven years, the company has created more than 2,250 jobs, making us one of the biggest employers in Slovenia. Novartis invested in Slovenia more than EUR 2.3 billion since 2003. 

About Sandoz
Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access to healthcare by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical need. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas and increasingly focused on value-adding differentiated medicines, accounted for 2018 sales of USD 9.9 billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany’s Greater Munich area.

Sandoz is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @SandozGlobal at http://twitter.com/Sandoz_Global.

About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 750 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 108 thousand people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com. 

* * *

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.

- end -

For additional information contact:
Katarina Klemenc
Corporate Communications 
Lek Pharmaceuticals d. d.
Phone: +386 1 580 22 43
katarina.klemenc@sandoz.com