Minister of Health of the Republic of Latvia Liga Mengelsone visited Grindeks along with Grindeks Chairman of the Council Kirovs Lipmans and Chairman of the Board Ph. D. Juris Hmelnickis visited the active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing plant and the final dosage form manufacturing plant.
During the meeting, the Minister of Health and representatives of Grindeks management discussed the development of the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector in the country, the role of local manufacturers in addressing the shortage of medicines, as well as the strategy of Grindeks in Latvia and the world.
Minister of Health of the Republic of Latvia Liga Mengelsone acknowledged that the Latvian pharmaceutical industry has a sustainable future, which is a benefit for Latvian society and the country as a whole.
Investments pay off
Grindeks invested 800 thousand euros in the site of production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and installed new, state-of-the-art laboratories and technological equipment for industrial production, which has allowed the unit to become multifunctional.
After the investments, the facility is used for the development and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. They are used for production of Grindeks final dosage forms or medicines, as well as for export. The department has the opportunity to work with equipment with a volume of 100ml to 20l, which allows the production of various of active substances from milligrams to kilograms.
Employee safety first
To ensure the safety of employees and the protection of the environment, a reduced-pressure insulator with filtration systems was installed for production to prevent highly effective API contact with humans and the environment. This was the first device of its kind in the Grindeks API factory. The site is also equipped with a modern monitoring and communication system for rapid response in case of non-standard situations.
Increase of production capacity is driven by growing demand for medicines
To meet the growing demand for medicines, Grindeks has also installed a new capsulation equipment at final dosage form manufacturing facility that allows significant improvements in capsule production rates.
With the installation of the machine, Grindeks capsule production capacity has increased by 33% to 750 million capsules per year. Thanks to the accuracy and speed of the new equipment, Grindeks has significantly improved its operational efficiency by providing patients with the medicines.
Understanding patients’ needs is key to success
Grindeks Group has been growing rapidly in recent years and is confident that, unlike global pharmaceutical market leaders, it is able to respond quickly and flexibly to patient needs and demand. In the Grindeks Group companies there are various drug development processes, knowledge transfer and ongoing infrastructure development to expand out portfolio of final dosage forms and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Kirovs Lipmans, Chairman of the Council emphasized the importance of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Latvia: “Our country has a strong pharmaceutical industry, which has developed rapidly due to the high qualifications of professionals and investments made. Investments in Grindeks development are estimated at hundreds of millions of euros, bringing huge benefits to the national pharmaceutical industry and patients in Latvia and elsewhere in the world.” The Chairman of the Council also noted that favourable attitude towards businesses is important at national level, especially for those producing high added value products.
Grindeks development plans, therapeutic group and direction priorities were discussed during the meeting. Grindeks can and want to be a support for patients, making their lives healthier and easier. Drawing on the experience gained over the years, Grindeks has a strategic focus on the development and introduction of new products, as well as on the development of existing medicines, namely more convenient forms of administration, more effective medicine exposure, dose diversity, etc. The company has enormous potential to offer its patients simple and innovative solutions to improve health and quality of life, as well as to be a real pillar of Latvia’s healthcare and economy.
From local company Grindeks has become a global pharmaceutical player
In 2020, Grindeks developed medium – and long-term strategies until 2025 and 2035. One direction of the development strategy is to increase export in emerging markets – European Union countries, USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland and Canada. The second direction of development is to increase the range of products by submitting not less than 18 products annually for the registration.
The main areas of the Grindeks Group are research, development, manufacturing and sale of original products, patent free products and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Global expansion is confirmed by its export capability – in 2022, the group’s medicines was chosen by health professionals and patients in 100 countries. It should be noted here that the main therapeutic groups and directions of Grindeks are cardiology, central nervous system, oncology, diabetes, dermatology and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The specialisation of the subsidiary Kalceks is medicine for the hospital segment and ophthalmology. Grindeks Group has production facilities in Latvia, Estonia and Slovakia. The group employs 1445 employees.
