What Does It Take to Get Our Products to 200m People Every Day?
Teva is a leading, global provider of quality, affordable medicines for nearly every health condition and every day 200 million people around the world take a Teva product. Meet the people and hear the stories behind those medicines.
Teva is a leading global provider of generic medicines, high-quality medicines that have the same active ingredients, produce the same effects, and pass the same stringent tests as the reference listed drugs – but at a more affordable price, saving patients and healthcare systems billions of dollars every year.
A medicine’s journey to regulatory approval can be a long one and teams in Teva facilities all over the world play a part. From scientists and doctors to electricians and warehouse staff, our people collaborate every day to get medicines to patients, when and where they need them. Meet some of our team members to find out what it takes to deliver medicines to 200 million people around the world every day.
1. Making products affordable
“People think that generics are different to branded drugs – they’re not, they’re the same,” explains Michael Banks, Senior VP Global Regulatory Affairs. Generics allow better access to healthcare globally and are a necessary commodity for everybody he says. Find out more about Teva’s production of generics and why we are so committed to producing affordable medicines.
2. Innovating to help improve lives
Ivana Šoljić Jerbić, Lead Scientist Complex Sterile Medicines Croatia, works on the development of complex sterile medicines that are potentially very important in the treatment of chronic diseases including schizophrenia and diabetes, medicines that could improve patients’ quality of life.
Ivana Šoljić Jerbić
“The medicines we work on contain biodegradable synthetic polymers, which are used as a release modifier to enhance and modify the release of the drug within a certain time frame, for example a month or two or three months. This may be very beneficial for patients as they don’t have to take the drug every day, they can take it once a month or even once in two or three months in some cases.”
3. Making products safe
While the costs of generic medicines are considerably lower, the quality and standards of research, production and distribution are just as high. Every product Teva makes goes through a stringent quality assurance process internally, as well as a rigorous regulatory review process externally. Find out more from Jonathan Rousell, VP Generics Regulatory Affairs Europe, about the systems and procedures that ensure Teva medicines are certified for use by health authorities around the world.
4. Working together to licence medicines all over the world
Janet Vaughn, VP Regulatory Affairs North America Generics, leads the team responsible for global regulatory affairs at Teva, collaborating with over 100 colleagues in several different locations. She works closely with the regulatory agencies responsible for licensing new medicines, bringing together her skills and experience in the areas of science, compliance, and ethics.
Read her story
5. Focusing on quality and safety
The quality and safety of Teva’s products is of paramount importance, and Teva teams aspire to make Teva the most trusted pharma company on the planet. “Our patient-first mindset and extensive patient reach strongly positions Teva to improve patients’ lives,” Sebastian Horn MD, Head of Global Patient Safety and Pharmacovigilance, says.
Sebastian Horn MD
“It is our strong belief in patient centricity combined with our breadth, reaching more than 200 million patients every day that I find remarkable and inspirational.”
6. Powering our facilities
Engineering and maintenance technician József Szendi started his career as an electrician with Teva and 50 years later is an engineering and maintenance technician at the Debrecen plant in Hungary. He and his team are responsible for providing the plants, offices, and labs with electrical power so the factory can carry out its important work, processing raw materials for pharmaceuticals, and producing solid pharmaceuticals for sale around the world.
Read his story
7. Getting medicines to the patients who need them
Getting products out to customers worldwide is a key part of Gillian Coultard’s job. As a warehouse operative at Teva UK’s West Yorkshire plant, for Gillian no two days at work are the same – sometimes she is driving a truck, sometimes picking products, sometimes doing replenishments.
Gillian Coultard
“I like my job, I like to get those tablets out the door, to get them out to the patients that need them. You’ve got to give 100%. I like to think I give 100% for Teva.”
8. Researching to generate long-term insights
Dr Riad Dirani, VP Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research, specializes in researching the clinical, economic, and human impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, and diabetes. Together with his team of scientists and researchers, he collects and analyses data to generate insights and understand the burden of these diseases on people and healthcare systems.
Inspired to take up a career in the pharma industry when his dad was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, Riad says: “He knew the importance and the positive impact of the medication that was prescribed – life-saving medicine he has been taking religiously for the past 25 years to treat this NCD. Seeing its effect motivated me to do what I do today.”
Read more about his work
We work to help patients lead better lives every day
We know that living with chronic health conditions affects our patients’ lives in so many different ways – and that the only people who really understand what it’s like are those who face the same challenges. For that reason, we created Life Effects, where patients share their stories about the reality of living with chronic conditions, as well as tips, advice, the latest research, and new technologies. Read more
As our world faces inequities in healthcare and the consequences of climate change, Teva, as a leading, global provider of quality, affordable medicines for nearly every health condition, is uniquely positioned to be a part of the solution and contribute to a healthier future. It takes each and every one of our 37,000 employees around the globe to do what we do every day, getting our products to over 200 million people.
Find out more
- Meet two of the scientists working in Teva’s early-stage research lab in Netanya, Israel
- We’re dedicated to advancing health and equity while minimizing our impact on the planet. Read more about our commitments
- Would you like to be part of our team, helping to improve patients’ lives? Visit our Careers page
