Sweden, June 4, 2020. Chiesi Norden (Chiesi), affiliate of Chiesi Farmaceutici, an international research-focused healthcare Group (Chiesi Group), today announced a range of measures to support employees, patients and healthcare providers in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The company has both office and R&D center in Sweden and the head office is in Parma in Northern Italy, which was hit hard by the virus.
“We have three focus areas during the outbreak of Covid-19. To protect patients and our employees and to keep the production going so that patients and healthcare providers who need our medicines can access them. In addition to this, we support, among other things, the Red Cross in the Nordic countries, and the healthcare system in Italy”, says Olav Fromm, CEO of Chiesi Norden. “We donated SEK 250,000 in early April and then chose to donate another SEK 250,000 as the Red Cross makes an important contribution and continuity is important when we face this massive challenge”.
Chiesi Group’s priorities since the beginning of the outbreak have been:
Taking care of our employees and partners
In response to the pandemic, the Chiesi Group Emergency Management Teams across the affiliates have been implementing measures to safeguard the health and safety of all employees, following guidance provided by institutions and the World Health Organization. These actions are focused on four main areas of activity: protecting, sharing, informing and training. The company has identified an essential workforce whose physical presence is indispensable on site to maintain the continuity of its operations and has provided the technological support and equipment necessary to ensure that all other Chiesi team members are able to work from home, with effective working policies now extended to all business functions. For all employees who continue to work on-site, rigorous processes have been implemented globally to protect their health including guidance on social distancing and new hygiene protocols in addition to existing routine safety and security procedures.
Our commitment to supporting the global response
As a Benefit Corporation, Chiesi Group is committed to having a positive impact on society. In addition to the actions that Chiesi Group and its global affiliates have taken thus far to support patients, institutions and healthcare professionals during the pandemic, the Group has announced a €3 million fund to support efforts to address this crisis in Italy, that was hit very hard by the virus. This fund is supporting a range of actions including donations of personal protective equipment, ventilators and sanitizing gel in response to requests from hospitals and other health institutions. The company has also made direct donations of drugs for respiratory diseases to hospitals in China and Italy.
In addition to this, Chiesi Norden has also provided support through donations. Here are some examples: Chiesi Norden donated SEK 500,000 to the Red Cross and spacers to caregivers to help patients inhale medicines.
“In response to this unprecedented global health crisis, Chiesi remains committed to improving the quality of life of our patients and of our employees and collaborators while also protecting the health and wellbeing of our employees, patients and partners. This is at the heart of all the decisions we make related to the pandemic,” comments Ugo Di Francesco, CEO Chiesi Group. “We are very pleased that we have been able to ensure the continued production and supply of our drugs to the hospitals, doctors, and patients who rely on our medicines. As a pharmaceutical company, we are also leveraging our expertise, resources and materials for healthcare professionals globally and are looking at ways to increase our capacity as needs expand. We continue to work with all our partners and local, national or regional bodies all over the globe to ensure we can support them to the best of our ability.”
“We are honoured to be able to play our part in response to the crisis caused by this pandemic. In Italy we are facing what can only be described as a national emergency. As we increase our initiatives to protect our employees and patients, their safety will remain our first priority”, says Alberto Chiesi, President of Chiesi Group. “I am deeply proud of the commitment demonstrated by all our employees in this difficult time and would like to extend my personal thanks to them all.”
About Chiesi Group
Based in Parma, Italy, Chiesi Farmaceutici is an international research-focused healthcare group with 85 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a global presence in 29 countries. Chiesi researches, develops, and markets innovative drugs in the respiratory therapeutics, specialist medicine, and rare disease areas. Its R&D organization is headquartered in Parma (Italy), and is integrated with R&D groups in France, the USA, the UK, and Sweden to advance Chiesi's pre-clinical, clinical, and registration programs. Chiesi employs nearly 6,000 people. Chiesi Group is a certified Benefit corporation. Chiesi Norden is an affiliate of Chiesi Group. For more information, please visit www.chiesi.com - https://www.chiesipharma.se/
For more information on Donations please visit https://www.chiesi.com/en/coronavirus/
Media contact
Annelie Barkelund,
PA and External Communications Manager, Chiesi Norden
Phone: + 46 (0) 72 703 23 86
Mail: a.barkelund@chiesi.com
