Strategy

Covid-19 – The Pierre Fabre Group Business Continuity Plan

25 March 2020

Exceptional measures have been taken throughout the world to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Each one of us, at our own level, has the duty to act responsibly to protect others while ensuring business continuity insofar as possible.

Exceptional measures have been taken throughout the world to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Each one of us, at our own level, has the duty to act responsibly to protect others while ensuring business continuity insofar as possible.

For the Pierre Fabre Group, this necessity is especially important, because we manufacture and sell essential products - including drugs (some of which are classified as “products of major therapeutic importance”) and hygiene and skin care products that are required for the proper application of barrier precautions (soaps, hydroalcoholic gels, cleansing gels, shampoo, emollients, etc.). 

Since the start of the crisis, all our teams have been fully mobilized to ensure the continuity of our essential business. At present, production is continuing in ten of our eleven plants. We are continuing to deliver essential products to our customers (pharmacies, pharmaceutical distributors, hospitals, etc.) and to export our products to our subsidiaries and international partners. As we are not dependent on active ingredients sourced in Asia and over 90% of our products are manufactured in France, we are in a better position to ensure their availability.  

Our business continuity plan is based on four major principles: 

Protect our staff 

  • A host of measures have been taken since the start of the crisis, including application of the health and safety instructions and social distancing rules, banning of all travel in France and abroad, closure of our sites to all visitors not deemed essential for business continuity, and suspension of all face-to-face visits by our sales staff to their customers. 
  • At our production and distribution sites, the health and safety measures and social distancing rules - which are extremely strict at all pharmaceutical sites, even in normal circumstances - have been reinforced considerably. 

Close our facilities which are normally open to the public 

This applies, for example, to our hydrotherapy center and hotel in Avène-les-Bains, our new concept store (Le Lab) in Toulouse, the René Furterer hair spa in Paris and also our Clinical Skin Research and Development Center housed on the premises of the Hôtel-Dieu in Toulouse.

Rely extensively on teleworking

  • Apart from production and distribution sites, all Group sites in France have been closed since Wednesday, March 18. 
  • All staff whose job is compatible with teleworking now work from home. 

Secure our production and distribution capacities for essential products

  • At present, ten of our eleven plants and our distribution sites are operational and working to provide pharmacists and hospitals with the essential products they need: drugs (cancer drugs, smoking cessation drugs and ear, nose and throat products), daily hygiene products and skin care products. 
  • Site by site, we have confirmed the functions, human resources and technical resources required to ensure the continuity of essential business operations. 
  • Our plants in Soual in the French department of the Tarn and Aréal in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro have organized themselves to produce hydroalcoholic gel.  
  • In order to ensure the smooth application of the health and safety measures, we have restricted the number of people authorized on each site at any given time to 100.   
  • Our procurement plan for raw materials and packaging items is updated every day. Our delivery schedule is also revised every day.    

This business continuity plan is constantly being monitored by the CEO office and is updated daily to take into account official health-related and public guidelines and directives, the overall economic situation and the number-one duty to protect our staff and partners from the spread of the virus.     



 

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