Key events

Year 2015

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Sandoz biosimilar filgrastim for treating patients with increased risk for neutropenia.

At the Lendava Packaging center, we opened a new logistic system, which is the largest single investment made by Novartis in Slovenia so far.

The most comprehensive pharmaceutical-medical museum collection in Slovenia, the Lavička Collection, came to life in digital form.

Year 2014

A team of scientists at the Mengeš Biopharmaceuticals and the National Institute of Chemistry Ljubljana received the Puh Award.

For the tenth time in a row, the Community Partnership Day was organized in Slovenia. Throughout the past ten years, Novartis associates in Slovenia have carried out 23,000 hours of voluntary work and helped more than 10,000 people and 40 organizations.

Year 2013

Vojmir Urlep, President of the Board of Management of Lek, received the award for outstanding business achievements from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

35 years of operation at the Prevalje site was marked with a ceremony. Over these past years, this once small pharmaceutical plant has grown and developed into an important and modern part of Sandoz.

Sandoz was the first to market generic mometasone nasal spray in Slovenia for the treatment of seasonal or perennial allergy rhinitis and symptomatic treatment of nasal polyps.

Year 2012

We celebrated 30th years anniversary of operation in Lendava site. In this time we have become a major employer in the region.

In Mengeš, we opened new laboratories for cellular and molecular biology further strengthening our support for Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals in maintaining the leading role in the development of biosimilars.

We received our tenth TOP 10 award for systematical investments in employee training.

Year 2011

Lek hosted the first Regional BioCamp in the Alpe-Adria region with distinguished experts from Sandoz and Novartis meeting top undergraduate and graduate science students.

Novartis associates in Slovenia participated in the first global initiative “Be healthy” that promotes a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.

Year 2010

In Mengeš, we opened a new facility for the production of state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical active pharmaceutical ingredients.

We were the first company in Slovenia to offer generic drug substance rosuvastin* for lowering cholesterol. The medicine has been produced and developed in Slovenia.

Lek received a full Family Friendly Company certificate, confirming our commitment to helping its associates balance their professional and private lives.

Year 2009

At the end of September we officially opened the new Lendava Packaging Center, which supplies European markets with finished pharmaceutical products from Sandoz plants all over the world.

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, in cooperation with Lek, a Sandoz company, has published an electronic version of the 4th edition of the Slovenian Medical e-Dictionary.

Year 2008

A new quality control center with laboratories for testing and releasing both Lek and Sandoz products featuring a modern microbiology laboratory was opened in Ljubljana.

We introduced a new medication containing perindopril for treating high blood pressure to the Slovenian market.

Sandoz received European Commission’s approval for our third biosimilar medicine – recombinant protein filgrastim.

Year 2007

In October we opened the new Biopharmaceuticals Development Center, which is one of six biopharmaceuticals centers at Novartis.

In Ljubljana we built a new quality assurance center with laboratories for testing and releasing Lek and Sandoz products, as well as a modern microbiology laboratory.

We were among the first companies in Slovenia to receive a “Family-Friendly Company” certificate.

Year 2006

In September we laid the cornerstone for the Lek Biopharmaceuticals Development Center in Mengeš, where we will develop and produce biopharmaceuticals for Sandoz’s global markets.

We started a project of expanding production, which envisages an increase in annual production capacities to 5 billion tablets.

We sold our 100% share in Lek Kozmetika d.o.o. and thus focused solely on the development, production and marketing of pharmaceutical products and active ingredients.

Year 2005

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the Regional Chamber of Ljubljana, presented a gold award with a certificate for the innovation ‘Development of the original technological process for the production of pallets’ to the pharmaceutical company Lek.

The Jožef Stefan Institute gave the Lek, a Sandoz company, its honorary certificate for a successful scientific and technological cooperation.

We have opened a plant in Mengeš for the final operations in the manufacturing of hypolipemic active ingredients.

Lek, a Sandoz company, continued its social responsibility role by visiting children in all Slovenian hospitals.

Year 2004

We open a new biopharmaceuticals plant in Mengeš, the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sandoz begins marketing pravastatin, a drug for lowering cholesterol, in Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Together with the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana we enable the publishing of the electronic edition of the Slovene Medical Dictionary.

Year 2003

The obtaining of a marketing approval for launching co-amoxiclav on the US market in 2003 is a major step in operations.

We receive Innovator of the Year award in 2002 for the project “Filgrastim – acquiring a recombinant protein through innovative solutions”.

In May 2003 several national brands in the framework of Novartis Generics are formed into a strong global brand: Sandoz.

Year 2002

2002 is a landmark year for Lek. The friendly takeover through which Lek becomes a part of the Novartis Group is completed in November.

In Ljubljana we open the new Lek Development Center, which enables the closer cooperation of Lek’s research units with research activities at scientific institutes and universities at home and abroad.