AstraZeneca Croatia and AstraZeneca Balkan: A Global Company Bringing Innovative Biopharmaceuticals to the Region

Global, innovative biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca develops and sells innovative medicines for the treatment of diseases in five therapeutic areas: oncology, cardiometabolic and kidney diseases, respiratory diseases, vaccines and immunotherapy, and rare diseases. It operates in over a hundred countries and was established in Croatia in 2000 as a representative office of AstraZeneca UK Limited and was registered in 2004 as AstraZeneca d.o.o. In March 2021, a regional cluster was formed that includes Bulgaria, Serbia, and Slovenia along with Croatia. This year, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo joined, enabling patients in those countries access to innovative AstraZeneca medicines with the help of partners.

In this cluster, more than 250 highly educated employees with a wide range of expertise in various fields work, and by 2025, the team will consist of 350 specialists. The company currently achieves over 150 million dollars in annual sales in the region and intends to double that in the next three years while introducing more than a hundred new medicines and indications.

Since 2021, the cluster director has been Dejan Lakovski, who has extensive business experience with over twenty years in the pharmaceutical industry and has held director positions in various companies over the past twelve years. With rich experience in managing multicultural and cross-functional teams, he is committed to building a diverse, highly engaged, and patient-focused team dedicated to the company’s values and ambitious sustainability agenda. Lakovski is a medical doctor and holds an MBA in economics from the University of Skopje. The dynamic development of AstraZeneca in Croatia over the past two years, as well as his role in the team, was the reason for the conversation with him and other leading figures of the company who, along with other team members, are key to achieving the company’s ambitious plans.

Dejan Lakovski, Director of AstraZeneca Balkan Cluster

What distinguishes AstraZeneca from its competitors and what has the transformation brought to the cluster structure?

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—– The formation of the regional cluster has allowed us to build a strong and diverse leadership team with representatives from all countries. They not only communicate excellently but also gain unique experience in managing multicultural teams. In fact, the new structure enables the business development of all colleagues in the cluster. Thanks to this, our experts work on international projects in cross-functional teams, continuously enriching their knowledge and experience, and can advance in their careers both vertically and horizontally. But continuous growth and development are key. In the next two years, we expect the team to grow by 35 percent. In other words, we provide a work environment that enables further employee development, as well as attracting new talents who will become part of a global company with an incredible history focused on the future and innovation.

What is the biggest challenge you faced during the transformation?

– I always view challenges as opportunities. The transformation into a cluster structure occurs in the process of the company’s rapid and dynamic growth. This brings the need to find skilled people for certain positions who recognize our culture and values. It is very important to us that new colleagues share our strong focus on patient welfare and sustainability, as well as contribute to creating a positive work atmosphere. The combination of all this helps achieve success and better business results. Of course, all of this is possible because I always have the support of other leaders and the team, for which I am grateful.

Employees play a key role in the company’s success. How do you manage to create an encouraging work environment?

– I firmly believe that people are the most important factor in an organization. I am proud that according to the company’s ‘pulse’, an internal survey, 92 percent of employees in Croatia would recommend AstraZeneca as an excellent place to work. According to the same survey, 95 percent of employees agree that their managers are committed to promoting our inclusion and diversity programs. These results are higher than the usual results of large global companies, especially those in the transformation process. We welcome diversity and new ideas. Encouraging a culture of speech and two-way communication is also key. We have a number of internal communication channels that allow employees to vocalize topics and priorities that are important to them. Additionally, regular meetings in the form of open discussions that we hold with all colleagues in different countries help build trust, unity, and collegiality. And, of course, we have an attractive benefits program tailored to the needs and desires of our employees.

What is the company’s vision regarding sustainable development and what role does social responsibility play for AstraZeneca?

– As a global company, we have a key role in addressing the greatest challenges of our time. We follow the UN’s global sustainable development goals and have a plan to achieve a negative carbon footprint by 2030. To help achieve this goal in our cluster, especially in Croatia, we have many initiatives. Since the beginning of this year, we have been ordering fully electric cars to achieve the goal by 2025: that all official cars will be electric. In the past year, at the initiative of our colleagues in the cluster, more than thirty actions promoting social responsibility have been carried out. We are proud that the initiative ‘AstraZeneca Forest’ originated from our cluster a few years ago, with the ambition to plant and maintain 50 million trees worldwide by 2025, which will help protect biodiversity and revitalize sensitive ecosystems by building ecological resilience. This initiative has been recognized at the company level and is being implemented in all countries. Last year in Croatia, AstraZeneca employees planted a thousand trees on Medvednica, further strengthening our commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. Among other activities, we highlight the ‘fostering’ of beehives, a smoking prevention program for children and youth, and many other initiatives. Best of all, new colleagues agree that one of the key factors for joining the company is our impressive sustainability program.

You have very high goals in patient access to modern treatment and must pay attention to business sustainability. How do you balance these two aspects?

– As a global leader focused on developing innovative medicines, I see everything we do for patients as an investment, not a cost. My role is primarily to be a business partner and support my colleagues in mutual growth, while thoroughly analyzing all aspects and proposing solutions to achieve the best possible joint results. We also invest exclusively in implementing early access programs for modern therapies and early diagnostics, in educational programs, informational campaigns for various diseases, and many others. Sustainable growth opens up opportunities for us to invest in further development of the cluster. Thanks to this, we are also present in the countries of southern Balkans. In this way, another ten million people from the region will have access to our innovative medicines.

Nikolina Škaron, Government Affairs and Market Access, AstraZeneca Croatia

What health challenges is AstraZeneca trying to address?

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—– We are witnessing a wave of new therapeutic solutions that positively change patient outcomes. The proportion of the population over 65 years old is increasing, resulting in a rise in chronic and oncological diseases. In partnership with public health institutions, we are working to change the way of thinking about healthcare to meet societal expectations. Spending in healthcare, especially for drug therapies, is a public investment, both for the welfare of citizens and for our economic future. Better health leads to prosperity. Healthier people enjoy longer and more productive working lives and spend less on healthcare.

Among AstraZeneca’s priorities is enabling more patients access to innovative therapies. How do you achieve this in Croatia?

– Through our early access programs, we provide patients in Croatia with the opportunity for free treatment with the company’s innovative products that are not yet on the HZZO’s basic list of medicines. We aim to provide them with better outcomes and precious time. In accordance with all regulations and thanks to continuous open dialogue with health institutions, we have ensured access to treatment for patients suffering from many oncological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, nephrological, rheumatological, and rare diseases. It is our immense responsibility to ensure that all patients in Croatia have access to new health technologies entering clinical practice. For us at AstraZeneca, this responsibility is our mission.

How does AstraZeneca gain the trust of patients and partners?

– Each of us, as well as our children and loved ones, can become a patient at some point. Healthcare is a sector that directly affects the welfare and longevity of the population, so I consider it a privilege to work for the benefit of patients. Our business decisions and actions must put patients first, protect their interests, and, let’s be honest, we would also like to be treated ethically, right? That is why our ethical code actually consists of the company’s values and is based on moral principles, not rules. Transparency is key for a pharmaceutical company. We also expect our partners and suppliers to adhere to high ethical standards by applying established methods to analyze their own codes of responsible business conduct, policies, and reputation. Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. We publish financial data annually for every health organization and patient association we have supported in implementing educational or socially important initiatives. We also publish information about all healthcare professionals with whom we have contractual relationships and who have given consent, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act. Collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals ultimately benefits patients, helping in the development of new medicines and enabling the dissemination of information and best clinical practices. We recognize patient expectations related to transparency and collaboration to ensure that doctors are impartial in recommending the appropriate and best possible treatment.

Ena Vitlov, Business Unit Manager BioPharmaceuticals, Croatia

How does the team at AstraZeneca support the introduction of innovations in pharmaceuticals in Croatia?

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—– In many cases, we are talking about innovative therapies that can save lives. In every industry, innovative companies drive impressive improvements in a specific area. If a person is demanding of the technological devices, software products, and services they use daily, they should be ten times more demanding of the medicines they use to treat themselves and their loved ones. We are here to help our patients and provide additional value to them and their loved ones. That is why the innovative therapy provided by AstraZeneca’s multifunctional teams to patients in Croatia supports the healthcare system in Croatia. We are proud that thanks to the dedication of our colleagues, tens of thousands of families in Croatia can count on at least one of our innovative therapies.

You lead one of the largest units of the company in Croatia. How do you maintain a high level of knowledge and skills in the team?

– Each of us is aware that good interaction with healthcare professionals is a priority for the company. Therefore, it sets high standards for training all employees. We are all its face, and learning is a constant process for us. We have provided colleagues with a variety of ways for good preparation. We have several online platforms for self-learning and dozens of specialized courses for skill improvement. Additionally, managers help with guidance and sharing experiences. As part of a global company and regional cluster, interaction with colleagues from other countries is very valuable to us, with whom we constantly exchange good practices, knowledge, and skills.

You are among the new employees at AstraZeneca. What impressed you about the company?

– The people. As well as the company’s mission to contribute to a positive impact on society, the environment, and access to better healthcare. Given the transformation and rapid growth in the cluster, I am impressed by the ease with which new colleagues like me receive support from the entire team daily, regardless of whether they have been with the company for years or have also recently started working, regardless of position, nationality, and so on. As a global company, there are many opportunities for development, and the company has numerous advantages to attract the best talents and experts.

Vladko Borić, Business Unit Director Rare Diseases Balkans

Can you explain the importance of innovations in the field of rare diseases?

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—– Rare diseases affect fewer than five in ten thousand people. This is a very small percentage, but if we look at the actual number of people suffering from rare diseases worldwide, we arrive at a large number of about 400 million people. Additionally, today more than seven thousand rare diseases are known, and for more than 90 percent, there is no approved treatment. Based on this data, it is clear that there is a huge unmet medical need in this therapeutic area. This can only be improved by focusing on research and development. The importance of innovations is further emphasized by the results of two studies. The first shows that it takes nearly four years longer to develop a drug for a rare disease than for more common diseases. The second study showed that only six percent of drugs for rare diseases in development have been approved, which is far below the overall success rate for drugs, estimated at 12 percent. In the last decade, innovative treatments have managed to shift from supportive care to treating the underlying disease, changing the lives of people living with rare diseases.

What is AstraZeneca’s strategy related to rare diseases and what are your priorities in this area in Croatia and the region?

– AstraZeneca entered the field of rare disease treatment through the acquisition of Alexion. Alexion, as a pioneer in science in this therapeutic area, has developed revolutionary drugs for rare diseases over the past thirty years. Despite the technological and medical advances in recent years, misdiagnosis or lack of knowledge remains a significant challenge for individuals with rare diseases or undiagnosed conditions, which is a very difficult situation for families and loved ones of affected patients. Diagnosis, even if there is no available therapy, can at least help them understand what to expect and how to cope with what is to come. One of the priorities of the rare diseases team at the company is to reduce the time to diagnosis. Another focus is better and timely access to therapies for patients. We are aware of the complexity of the situation that healthcare systems face, so we collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to find ways to help more patients access innovative therapies – both through early access programs and the formal national reimbursement process by including drugs on the list of medicines of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. More than two decades ago, I worked as a scientist at a research and development institute. It was an exciting time when I learned how challenging, lengthy, and unpredictable drug research work is. Today, I am even more grateful and responsible for working with innovative medicines that offer patients new, revolutionary solutions. Working in the therapeutic area of rare diseases gives me additional motivation because they affect only a small population of patients, and thus I feel closer to patients, their families, and caregivers.

What are the most important leadership skills and what are leaders like at AstraZeneca?

– Until recently, the most successful leadership style was discussed, but I am glad that there is increasing talk about building high-performing and engaged teams, which can only be achieved through authentic leadership and a good corporate culture. Considering that leaders influence corporate culture, and that culture affects employee engagement, motivation, and satisfaction, it is not surprising that a good and healthy corporate culture is the result of effective leadership and management. Namely, employees will be guided by the behavior of leaders they see in the organization, especially those they value. Leaders must genuinely show care for their people, provide support, and constructive feedback. Their role is to help the team achieve results while considering their continuous personal and professional development. When I joined AstraZeneca, I was very happy to become part of such a management team – the managers here are a true example of caring for people and skillfully ensuring balance in our diverse teams. This helps us achieve excellent business results and a positive work atmosphere.