Working hard to keep medicines moving

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

7
April 30, 2020
- Quality

As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved globally, we strive to provide an uninterrupted supply of medicines to the 200 million patients that we serve around the world.

The global emergency surrounding COVID-19 disrupted the family, work and social lives of many people around the world.

At Teva, we’re working hard to keep the flow of medicines going to patients and healthcare systems. Thousands of colleagues have adapted the way they operate in order to continue performing essential work on our production lines, warehouses and distribution networks.

Here are just a few examples from Teva’s sites around the world.

Maintaining supplies of essential medicines

One in every twelve generic prescriptions in the United States contains a Teva product ¹. To continue to meet demand, teams across the country work hard to keep the supply chain and production lines running. Teva’s warehouse team in Pennsylvania, for example, are receiving over 40 million units per month and shipping out over 25 million units a month. The team currently have an on-time delivery rate of over 99%!

In Europe, the demand from wholesalers started to significantly increase as the coronavirus began to impact the continent.

In March, 15,000 pallets containing 30 million packs of medicine were delivered to customers in Germany and Austria. Warehouse and distribution teams across the two countries responded to the doubling of orders by overhauling their shift patterns, people kindly came back early from their holidays and everyone from apprentices to managers took on additional responsibilities.

In Croatia, even an earthquake didn’t stop the team from manufacturing critical medicines. According to Robert Frankovic, Production Operations Director, “production didn’t stop – patients who need our products are our priority.” The production lines were repaired and reactivated in record time, and a much-needed antiseptic was approved for local use – some of which was donated to regional crisis and medical centers in the fight against COVID-19.

In Austria, our truck drivers are continuing to work around the clock to make sure medicines get to their locations. Gerhard Riek, for example, has continued to play an essential role in delivering medicines, despite the high levels of coronavirus in parts of the country. Drivers were supplied with gloves, face masks and protective suits to help protect their safety. Contact with others has also been significantly reduced by ensuring documentation is processed online, and the unloading is done by just one person.

In Southern America, Teva’s team in Chile made a tremendous effort to stay operational and meet the needs of patients expecting to receive their medications. Production Supervisor Paola Garrido said “I am proud to see how my team works, how they notice every detail, their dedication and efforts - in their work areas and in their daily and family life. Everyone is committed to their daily tasks in order to reach our patients in time.”

Employee well-being

The well-being of employees around the world is of paramount importance as we continue to respond to this global pandemic. We are operating conscientiously, focused on the health and safety of our employees.

We have reduced the number of people in our facilities to only those who are essential and may not work remotely. We are adhering to local social distancing recommendations, PPE and hygiene instructions to better protect our people, their families and the communities in which we operate.

Read about additional steps we’re taken in relation to our employees and driving a positive impact in respect to the COVID-19 pandemic here.