Partners

Lek

Lek is a member of the global biopharmaceutical network of Sandoz, the global Novartis generic division, the pioneer of biosimilar.pharmaceuticals and the second-largest generic company globally. Novartis is the leading commercial drug supplier in Slovenia and has plans for further growth in the field.

Lek's Biopharmaceuticals unit located in Mengeš is the only industrial centre for the recombinant biotechnology in Slovenia. It is one of the main biopharmaceutical development and production centres within Novartis. Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš is integrated in all Sandoz’ biosimilar development projects, drug substance and drug product. Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš is also the manufacturing site for one of the three Sandoz biosimilar products (epoetin alfa).

Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš is a cell line development centre of excellence for biosimilars, centre of excellence for PEGylation for Novartis group and process development centre of excellence for cell culture derived biopharmaceuticals.

Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš employs more than 350 experts. 80 percent of those have a university degree or higher, as many as 34 percent hold a master’s degree or a doctorate in science. Lek, a Sandoz company, thus provides to the local experts invaluable opportunities to work at home while gaining international experience and knowledge at the same time.

Lek has established the biopharmaceuticals unit at the beginning of 2002. In Mengeš in February 2004, Lek opened PORT 1, the first manufacturing plant for recombinant technologies in Slovenia, in 2007 the Biopharmaceuticals Development Centre, the POMP facility for the production of modified proteins in 2010, the CMB laboratories for cell and molecular biology laboratories in 2012 and QC Bioanalytics laboratories in 2014. In 2016 Biopharmaceuticals Mengeš officially opened new laboratories for the development of final dosage form for biosimilars, quality control and biopharmaceuticals technical development. With the investment, worth a good 10 million Euros, the site gained an additional development role. Apart from drug substance development for biosimilars, final dosage forms for biosimilars will now be developed there, as well.

Team

Aleš Belič

Drago Kuzman

Mateja Salobir

Matjaž Vogelsang