In October 2015, Acino acquired Pharma Start, the 8th largest local pharmaceutical production company in Ukraine. The summary after one year is impressive with tremendous changes across all functions and the complete overhaul of the commercial structures.
We built a strong team who is willing to go the extra-mile and takes actions to transform the local company into an international market leader. In a very short time frame we completely re-shaped the organizational structure of Pharma Start including the implementation of new functions and significant investment in our people by education and training.
Eugene Zaika, Regional Director Ukraine/CIS
Acino’s business across the CIS region currently covers Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Georgia, with a remarkable 40% sales growth for the in 2015 compared to 2014.
The site in Kiev is our regional headquarter and home to over 500 employees with the commercial organization and the GMP-certified manufacturing plant. The plant is equipped with modern machinery like Bohle, Huttling, Kilian, IMA, York, and Buderus, and is operational since 2003.
The wind of change at Pharma Start blows strongly with initiatives like a new compensation framework and transparent rules for all employees, the implementation of our compliance policies and pharmacovigilance, the shaping of a new functions, and the investment into new laboratories and manufacturing equipment to name only a few among many others.
The working approach at Acino Pharma Start has changed as it became transparent, ethical and compliant since we joined Acino.
Nataliia Snimshchikova, Human Resources Director Ukraine
Our entity in Russia is a fast-growing pharmaceutical company with an exclusive portfolio of original products for diverse therapeutic areas focusing on female healthcare and cardiology. The well-established team with a strong expertise both in retail and hospital segments works to promote products throughout the country. In total, over 70 employees located in more than 25 cities of Russia deliver healthcare solutions to patients with high quality and maximum safety as well as educational activities for the healthcare community.
With our focus on cardiology and women health products we are holding leading positions in the women’s health segment and are ranked Top 5 in gynecology anti-infectives and Top 3 in simultaneous therapy of patients with acute coronary syndrome.
In the current situation of economic volatility, healthcare funding constraints and increased market competition our commercial and marketing teams expand their efforts to increase the knowledge about our products among healthcare professionals to make our high quality products available to patients.
With the support from key opinion leaders a series of over 40 targeted regional events for healthcare professionals have been held in different regions of Russia during 2016.
“These events provide plenty of opportunity to discuss clinical cases and to share their experiences which is of high value for both young and experienced healthcare professionals.”
Olga Gostishcheva, Medical Director
50 cardiologists attended our healthcare forum for cardiologists ‘Preventing post-surgery complications after percutaneous coronary intervention at acute coronary syndrome’ that was held in May 2016 in Moscow. Leading professors presented during the forum and actively involved participants into discussions, and demonstrated medical cases from their medical practice.
Representatives from all over Ukraine honored the results of the great team work at Acino Pharma Start by two awards for the best products of the year at the annual professional contest of the pharmaceutical industry of Ukraine – “Panacea 2016”.
The high performance assessment of “Panacea 2016” shows that Acino Pharma Start is on the right path.
These achievements are the result of continuous hard work of our employees who make a considerable contribution to the development and prosperity of the company and increase the level of confidence in our products among patients, doctors and other professionals of the pharmaceutical industry.
Eugene Zaika, Regional Director Ukraine/CIS
The competition Panacea is organized each year on the Day of the pharmacist and brings together all members of the pharmaceutical market who are operating in Ukraine: local and foreign manufacturers of medical products, distributors, pharmacists and others. The Panacea Award is a professional prize among the participants of the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine.
The aim of the competition is to mark the company which made the most significant contribution to the provision of medicines to patients in Ukraine. We are proud to say that Acino Pharma Start is part of these companies.
At the ceremony held on September 8, 2016, in Kiev, the antihypertensive DIOCOR and the anti-parkinsonian LEVOCOM of Acino Pharma Start were recognized in the category “Product of the Year” in the group of prescription drugs.
The rating of the winners in the category “Product of the year” is the result of market research in the second half of 2015 and the first half of 2016 provided by analytical partners of the Panacea 2016 competition. The medicines were studied according to the international ATC classification1 and winners were determined by the following indicators: The proportion of the drug in its segment and the dynamics of growth in retail sales pricing in a competitive segment.
1 The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System is used for the classification of active ingredients of drugs according to the organ or system on which they act and their therapeutic, pharmacological and chemical properties. It is controlled by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (WHOCC), and was first published in 1976.
