At Teva api, we are dedicated to leveraging our corporate resources and expertise to promote healthy communities all over the world. Our ambitious, wide-ranging Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) activities and our commitment to sustainability has just won us the 2020 EcoVadis Silver medal, reflecting our ongoing efforts to cultivate responsible business practices and positive social initiatives.
As the leading international supplier of quality active pharmaceutical ingredients, we support 75% of the top 50 global pharmaceutical companies via 16 manufacturing plants, five R&D centers, and seven sales offices, accumulating an annual $745.5M in sales. Serving nearly 1,100 customers in more than 75 countries, we are profoundly aware of our deep responsibility to not only comply with all applicable laws and regulations, but also actively work to exert a positive impact on the world around us.
Teva was awarded an EcoVadis 2020 Silver Medal for responsible conduct in environment, labor and human rights practices, ethics and sustainable procurement– a score placing us in the top 24% of all pharmaceutical companies rated by Ecovadis.
EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings for global supply chains, with its famous scorecards providing invaluable, detailed insight into environmental, social, and ethical factors. Receiving the EcoVadis Silver medal is not only a huge honor for Teva and Teva api, but also confirmation that we are meeting our ambitious ESG performance goals.
The Teva 2019 ESG Progress Report, which was published a few months ago, clearly illustrates our steadfast commitment to patients and communities everywhere, in multiple areas:
Quality APIs
As generics play an increasingly significant role in global healthcare, questions are continually being raised about product quality. Are these affordable alternatives actually as safe and effective as their brand-name counterparts? Throughout the business landscape, and particularly where health is concerned, customers desire to collaborate with companies that not only supply reliably high-quality products, but also behave in a socially-responsible manner and have a positive impact on the environment.
Teva api, and Teva as a whole, exemplify the very best in both product quality and responsible citizenship. Our mission to improve patient lives and promote global health always comes first, empowering our dedication to absolute product quality and safety. Some 200 million people take our medicines daily, and we carefully monitor all our products throughout their entire lifecycle via our pharmacovigilance division, in strict compliance with global regulations.
In 2019, we gained approvals for 1,000+ generics, helping to make treatments more affordable. We also achieved significant improvements in safety management and environmental sustainability, while launching unique ESG activities that are driving meaningful change in communities worldwide.
Access to Medicines
Even the best, most effective medications become useless if patients have no way to access them. Although generics have revolutionized healthcare for millions of patients around the globe, dramatically reducing costs across the board, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 50% of people still lack access to critical health services.
As the world’s leading provider of generic medicines, we continually strive to improve vulnerable populations’ access to quality healthcare and medicines, including those on the WHO’s Essential Medicines List, and expand our generics pipeline.
We recognize that healthcare access is a complex global issue that can only be addressed through diverse, sustained efforts that actively engage governments, NGOs, humanitarian organizations, healthcare professionals, and pharmaceutical companies in cross-sector partnerships.
In 2019, Teva donated $246M worth of medicines to patients around the world and partnered to address childhood cancer medicine shortages by supplying 17,000 vials of 13 medicines in Ethiopia.
Childhood Cancer Medicines Initiative
Teva manufactures 84% of cancer medicines listed on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML), so when Ethiopia faced a shortage of childhood cancer medicines, we formed an initiative with Access to Childhood Cancer Essentials (ACCESS), Direct Relief and the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Fund Supply Agency (EPFSA) to address the problem.
We identified 13 Teva cancer medicines from the EML and sent 17,000 vials to Ethiopia within six weeks—a process that can typically take upwards of six to nine months. When the US faced a shortage of Vincristine, a childhood cancer medication, Teva announced that it would re-introduce the product, manufacturing it at one of its US plants, in order to provide the product to the market faster. Teva hopes the reintroduction will help address the shortages and bring this life-saving medicine to children in need.
Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) — Going Forward
As our 2019 ESG Progress Report describes, Teva and its pharmaceutical ingredients division, Teva api, have made great strides forward in endorsing meaningful social initiatives and research dedicated to improving the health of underserved communities worldwide. However, we also recognize that this is an ongoing process.
As Kåre Schultz, President & CEO Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., said:
“Looking to the future, we will continue to advance our ESG efforts to create value for our investors, employees and many stakeholders. We will strive for full compliance, while demonstrating integrity, ensuring the quality of our medicines and keeping patients at the heart of what we do. .”