Helsinn Publishes Sustainability Report for its Drug Product Manufacturing and Supply Operation in Ireland

LUGANO, Switzerland, April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Helsinn, the Swiss Group focused on building quality cancer care, today announces the publication of the sustainability report for Helsinn's Dublin based subsidiary, Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals Ltd for the year 2013, in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. This follows the publication of a similar report in 2013 by Helsinn Advanced Synthesis, Helsinn Birex Pharmaceutical's sister company located in Switzerland, and these reports together underline Helsinn Group's continuing commitment to building a globally sustainable and ethically sound business.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the most widely used standard and has been adopted by over 4,000 organisations in at least 60 countries, driving the adoption of best practice standards in sustainability around the world.

Helsinn Birex Pharmaceutical's report reflects the premium Helsinn places on corporate stewardship of social and environmental issues, which include: governance and ethics, energy and water, waste management, packaging management, ethnicity, age, and gender diversity, supply chain management, recognising excellence, and community engagement.

Helsinn Birex Pharmaceutical's General Manager, Mr. Padraig Somers,commented: "As reflected by this report, Helsinn Birex Pharmaceutical is committed to transparency in management of our operations, effective stakeholder engagement, and objectively gauging our progress in terms of sustainability to world class standards. Our partners can be confident not just in our high quality products but our commitment to future generations also. We are pleased to have published this report which is available via our website."

About the Helsinn Group 

Helsinn is a family run, privately owned pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care with a large portfolio of products. Founded in 1976 with headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, Helsinn also has operating subsidiaries in Ireland, the United States and a representative office in China. Helsinn's business model is focused on the licensing of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and nutritional supplement products in the therapeutic area of cancer care.

Helsinn Group in‐licenses early‐to‐late stage new chemical entities, completing their development by performing preclinical and clinical studies and associated manufacturing activities. Helsinn then prepares necessary regulatory filings in order to achieve marketing approvals worldwide. Helsinn's products are out‐licensed to its global network of marketing and commercial partners that have been selected for their local market knowledge. Helsinn supports these partners by providing a full range of product and scientific management services, including commercial, regulatory, and medical marketing advice. In March 2013, Helsinn established a new commercial organization within its subsidiary, Helsinn Therapeutics (U.S.), Inc., in order to conduct direct sales and marketing activities within the U.S. market. Helsinn's products are manufactured according to the highest quality, safety, and environmental standards at Helsinn's GMP facilities in Switzerland and Ireland from where they are then supplied worldwide to customers.

Further information on Helsinn Group is available at http://www.helsinn.com

About Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Dublin 

Ireland is a global center for pharmaceuticals manufacturing and supply for the top pharmaceutical companies worldwide with an excellent reputation for GMP compliance.

Since 1997 Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals has operated from a state of the art finished dosage facility in Damastown, Dublin, Ireland. From here Helsinn supplies its partners globally with ready to sell products on an exclusive basis, which are manufactured on site and/or using a network of high quality external manufacturing partners (CMO's) located around the world. In addition it performs late stage development and launch of new oral solid dose products in its pipeline.

Helsinn continuously invests in the Dublin site to guarantee all elements of the supply chain for development and commercial products.

About the Global Reporting Initiative  

GRI has pioneered and developed a comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used around the world. A sustainability report is a report published by a company or organization about the economic, environmental and social impacts caused by its everyday activities. A sustainability report also presents the organization's values and governance model, and demonstrates the link between its strategy and its commitment to a sustainable global economy.   GRI's mission is to make sustainability reporting standard practice for all companies and organizations. Its Framework is a reporting system that provides metrics and methods for measuring and reporting sustainability-related impacts and performance. For more information, see http://www.globalreporting.org/

For more information, please contact:

Helsinn Group
Paola Bonvicini
Head of Communication & Press Office
Tel: +41-91-985-21-21
info-hhc@helsinn.com  

For media/external inquiries
Consilium Strategic Communications  
Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson / Matthew Neal / Laura Thornton
Tel: +44(0)203-709-5700
Helsinn@consilium-comms.com