Teva CFS Book English

Creativity where it matters I t seems that the saying “when one door closes another one opens” properly represents the story of the failed clinical trial with oral Copaxone at the Kfar Saba plant. From such a low point, new technologies and opportunities emerged that changed the plant at the turn of the millennium and led it to new heights. An “underground” project becomes the next big hit Concurrent to developing oral Copaxone, a group of “freaks” at R&D, among them Dr. Adrian Gilbert, started working on a side, almost clandestine project, of Copaxone in syringes. As fate would have it, and after the trial with oral Copaxone failed, the detour became the “real deal” and when the trial failed, the budget for the syringes was approved. There is no doubt that the alternative that quickly grew is the result of immense creativity and thinking out of the box. The first filling line for syringes was built at the Kfar Saba plant between 2001 and 2003, and later in 2006 an additional line was also built, while sticking to the budget and schedules. Anat Goren, Manager of the Sterile Plant at the time, attests that also the FDA gave its approval relatively quickly. The new technology had significant advantages over the previous one, says Anat: “With this technology, Copaxone did not require freezing; refrigeration sufficed so it was easier to store and transport. In addition, the pre-filled syringe is much more user friendly and safe for people with motor problems, like Multiple Sclerosis patients”. The pre-loaded syringe technology was a breakthrough for the company thanks to the automatic production lines and the smart Visual Inspection system, which assures the quality of the syringes, as David Lustig attests - currently the Israel and Ireland Division Manager. The ability to affect creates real change! When Anat Goren came to the plant in 1995, there were only 35 employees. By 2010, the personnel grew and the plant had over 250 employees. Anat understood the enormity of the responsibility placed on the plant as a source of livelihood for so many workers, and thought that in addition to Copaxone, its capabilities should be taken advantage of and also generic products should be manufactured for the American market. In 2004, she led to an investment in the filling line for eye drops and despite the reservations along the way, she managed to eventually get the investment approved by the CEO Israel Makov. According to her “It’s nice to see how in a large organization like Teva, you can go with what you believe and influence when you believe in something”. Leveraging capabilities The plant started to supply generic products to the U.S.: In 2004, the marketing of a drug named Ondansetron to the American market began - a generic injection drug that prevents nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy or surgery. It was relatively simple to manufacture the drug and did not require a massive investment since Copaxone’s vial production line was used. The eye drops filling line became operational in 2006 and has been working successfully to this very day. Failure is never gratifying, but looking back it seems that all these developments and the prosperity of the Sterile Plant are actually a chronicle of oral Copaxone’s failure, which was leveraged using a lot of creativity and thought on how to add value. Like we said, when one door closes, a lot of other doors open... One door closes, another one opens - New technologies at the turn of the millennium “ “It’s nice to see how in a large organization like Teva, you can go with what you believe and influence when you believe in something ” [Anat Goren] 33