Highlights in the Year 2002
| January 1, 2002 | The Independent Lek Kozmetika has Ambitious Plans Lek Kozmetika began operation on January 1 as a completely independent daughter company of the pharmaceutical firm Lek. The Cosmetics Unit used to be an integrated part of Lek until the end of 2001. With the new year, Lek Kozmetika began independent operations on the basis of the three-year business plan prepared by its director, Cvetana Rijavec. more » |
| January 31, 2002 | Lek on the American Market with Bromocriptine Mesylate The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek announces on January 31 that it has received approval from the US regulatory authorities to immediately market the dopamine receptor agonist bromocriptine mesylate tablets in the U.S. The American market is the largest pharmaceutical market in the world and one of Lek’s strategic markets. Sales of the innovator’s brands are estimated to be approximately $ 40 million during 2001. more » |
| March 27, 2002 | Lek Officially Opens its Renovated Plant for the Manufacture of Sterile Products The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek officially opened a completely renovated production plant in Ljubljana for the manufacture of sterile products. With the opening of this facility that produces vials, lyophilisates and syringes, Lek affirms its strategic presence in the most rigorous area of pharmaceutical technology. The plant produces sterile products that are used in the most exacting clinical conditions, and save lives. more » |
| May 6, 2002 | Lek’s new Research Center in Slovenia – Progressing toward Greater Innovation Today, with the president of the Republic of Slovenia, Milan Kucan, and prominent representatives of the Slovenian scientific and business communities in attendance, the Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek, officially opened its new Research Center (RC) in Verovskova street in Ljubljana. With an investment of SIT 2.9 billion, Lek advances its strategy of becoming a more innovative company. The new Research Center presents opportunities that encourage the in-house development of high quality and accessible drugs to meet the latest treatment protocols. The new RC will promote increased and closer collaboration with Lek’s research units and those of research institutes and faculties at home and abroad. more » |
| July 1, 2002 | Lek introduces Lisinopril in the US market The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek announces that it has received final approval from U.S. regulatory authorities to immediately start the distribution and sales of the ACE inhibitor Lisinopril in the U.S. The American market is the largest single pharmaceutical market worldwide and one of Lek’s strategic markets. Sales of the innovator brands were estimated to be in excess of $ 1.5 billion during 2001. more » |
| July 4, 2002 | Lek d. d. Successfully Completes Third FDA Inspection in Two Years The US Food and Drug Administration has completed a comprehensive inspection of several of the Company’s facilities during the period of June 17 to July 4, 2002. The inspected facilities all related to the production of one of Lek’s strategic products, the antibiotic Amoksiklav (amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate). more » |
| July 8, 2002 | The Foundation Stone of Lek’s new Production Plant in Romania The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek d.d. laid the foundation stone of the new production plant in Romania in the presence of the President of the Republic of Slovenia and the highest representatives of the Slovenian delegation and the high representatives of the Romanian delegation, including the Romanian Minister of Health Mrs. Daniela Bartos. The investment worth $12 m will be built in compliance with the international standards of good manufacturing practice and it represents a step forward in the implementation of Lek’s strategy in this region. The new production plant will provide safe and quality antibiotics at reasonable prices. Lek will see to the systematic introduction of the elements of the environmental management. The new production plant will employ additional experts. more » |
| August 29, 2002 | Novartis announces its intention to make a public tender offer for the shares of Lek, creating a winning combination in the fast-growing generics market Novartis intends, subject to certain conditions, to make an offer to acquire all of the capital stock of Lek for 95,000 Slovenian Tolars (SIT) per share, a premium of more than 73% above the year-to-date average closing class A share price. Excellent synergy and potential for stronger growth. Together, Novartis and Lek would be positioned as a global leader with a strong presence in the key generics’ markets of the US, western Europe, central- eastern Europe, south- eastern Europe and the CIS region. Novartis is Lek’s partner of choice to drive its international expansion in key markets, securing its position as a generics’ leader and innovator. more » |
| September 27, 2002 | Laying the cornerstone in Poland On Friday, 27 September the Lek business group laid the cornerstone for the new production and logistics centre in Strykow, near Lodz, Poland. The dedication ceremony was attended by high-ranking representatives of the Slovene and Polish delegations. The guests of honour were the Slovene President Milan Kucan and the Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who together with the Chairman of the Board of Lek, Metod Dragonja signed a certificate of the laying of the cornerstone for the production and logistics centre. The new Lek production and logistics centre will be built according to international GMP construction standards and will ensure the achievement of Lek’s sales goals on the Polish market and on the rest of Lek’s traditional markets. The high technological standard will fulfill EU requirements. Upon the construction of the facility, which will specialize in the production of solid pharmaceutical forms with an initial capacity of 800 million tablets and capsules per year, we foresee a gradual increasing of production to 2 billion tablets and capsules per year. The planned investment is €72 m, of which €38 m will be for fixed assets. Production will begin at the beginning of 2005 and will employ 250 specialists. |
| November 26, 2002 | Public Offer Successfully Completed In accordance with Article 50 of the Takeovers Act, with Article 66 of the Securities Market Act, and with the Rules of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange d.d., Ljubljana, Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Verovskova 57, Ljubljana, hereby announces that with its decision of 21 November 2002, ref.No. 171/51/AG-02-(731), the Securities Market Agency declares that the public offer by the bidder Servipharm AG,c/o Novartis Pharma AG, Lichtstrasse 35. 4056 Basel, Switzerland (“Bidder”) , for the purchase of 1,792,782 common registered Class A voting shares, and 140,394 preference registered Class B voting shares, at a nominal value of 6,000 SIT per share, of the issuer Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Verovskova 57, Ljubljana (“Issuer”), being open between 28 September 2002 and 18 November 2002, was successfully completed. more » |
| November 26, 2002 | Lek obtains approval to market co-amoxiclav in the US market The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek d.d. received final approval from the US regulatory authorities (Food and Drug Administration) to immediately start the distribution and sales of the 1- gram tablets of co-amoxiclav (combination of amoxicilline antibiotic and clavulanic acid, beta-lactamase inhibitor), an antibiotic for the treatment of broad-spectrum bacterial infections. The US market is the world’s largest pharmaceutical market and one of Lek’s strategic markets. In 2001, the sales of co-amoxiclav by the originator GlaxoSmithKline were in excess of $ 1.7 billion. Lek will launch co-amoxiclav in the US market in the beginning of 2003. more » |
| November 29, 2002 | In its Strategic Integration into the Novartis Group, Lek Retains and Consolidates its Identity The new strategic alliance of Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d. represents yet another milestone in the company’s development. By maintaining its identity and through the synergy of business operations within the Novartis Group, Lek faces new professional and business challenges that provide both the company and its employees with new opportunities for growth. more » |
| November 29, 2002 | Lek Obtains Another Approval to Market Co-Amoxiclav in the US Market The Slovenian pharmaceutical company Lek d.d. received another final approval from the US regulatory authorities (Food and Drug Administration) to immediately start the distribution and sales of the 625-milligram tablets of co-amoxiclav (combination of amoxicilline antibiotic and clavulanic acid, beta-lactamase inhibitor), an antibiotic for the treatment of broad-spectrum bacterial infections. more » |
