1. Aché

Profile

Aché is one of the five largest pharmaceutical corporations in Brazil according to the Pharmacy Purchase Price (PPP) methodology. It has one of the largest Commercial Sales and Demand Forces, which provides a wide covering for promoting our products, sharing scientific knowledge with health professionals, and offering final consumers a complete portfolio of proven quality and safety.
GRI 102-1, 102-2 e 102-7

Guided by our clear goals and a robust cultural transformation, in 2020 we continued to seek excellence in our processes. We strived to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability, which was always based on operating in an ethical and transparent manner. We are aware of our transforming role in society and remain committed to the health, well-being, and quality of life of all Brazilians.

A BROAD PORTFOLIO GRI 102-2 e 102-7

By investing strongly and consistently in innovation and quality, every year we launch in the market new therapeutic options and expand our portfolio with products of recognized quality. In the last five years we have launched 190 products, 133 of which were new, and 57 were new presentations in the field of prescription drug, specialty care, non-prescription drug (OTCs), generic, dermo-medicine and dermo-cosmetic segments. In 2020 alone, we launched 46 products:

• Prescription drugs: 25
• Specialty care: 1
• Dermatology: 16
• Generic drugs: 3
• OTC: 1

We have products in the main therapeutic classes, offering healthcare professionals innovative solutions for safe and effective treatments, and consumers affordable, quality-assured products. Our 363 brands are available in 917 presentations, covering 145 therapeutic classes and 18 medical specialties.

ACHÉ’S PRESENCE GRI 102-4

Aché is a 100% Brazilian company, and has five industrial plants located in São Paulo (SP), Guarulhos (SP), Anápolis (GO), Londrina (PR) and Cabo de Santo Agostinho (PE). Aché also has shares in the biotechnology company Bionovis, whose plant is under construction in Valinhos (SP). All plants have a strict quality system, which follows international criteria and standards. GRI 102-4

In 2020, we improved our quality system by including the requirements that were introduced by legislation related to good manufacturing practices. We standardized our quality procedures, processes and manuals for our own five plants, and for the third-party plants from which we receive products. We also invested more than R$ 7 million in technology, including changing equipment, areas improvements and changes in layouts.

This period was also marked by important international launches, which contributed to the growth in the Company’s export operations. Among the main highlights were the launch of the drug Trezete in Mexico, the relaunch of Flebosmin in Andean countries, and Acheflan being exported to Eastern Europe countries.

In line with our strategic plan, internationalization efforts in 2020 were redirected towards markets that have great potential. Aché now has licensing agreements for its products in 17 markets, which represents a rationalization of the number of countries that had been covered until 2019. New agreements are being negotiated, with a renewed focus on offering the Company's incremental innovation portfolio to the main emerging markets, thereby paving the way for a consistent expansion of our business abroad in the coming years. GRI 102-6 and 103-2

BIONOVIS

Created in 2012 to operate in the biopharmaceuticals segment, Bionovis S.A. is a company controlled by four Brazilian laboratories, including Aché. The company works in partnership with Bio-Manguinhos through PDPs (Productive Development Partnership) to produce highly complex biological drugs. It has six PDPs already in Phase III: Infliximab, Betainterferona 1a, Etanercept, Golimumab, Rituximab and Trastuzumab. Among the highlights was the start of the supply of Golimumab, Rituximab and Trastuzumab to the Ministry of Health through PDPs.

An industrial scale industrial unit is under construction in Valinhos, SP for producing API (active pharmaceutical ingredient), and formulating, filling, packaging and storing biological drugs. This unit will have temperature-controlled warehouses, R&D laboratories, quality control laboratories, a pilot plant and a manufacturing plant with production lines capable of absorbing and implementing technologies on an industrial scale.

The way we are GRI 102-16

Our Values GRI 102-16

COVID-19

In 2020, Aché did not measure its efforts to preserve the health of more than 5,100 employees, their families, third party contractors, and all the audiences with which it relates.

THE ACHÉ GENERATION

To ensure the health and safety of all we immediately social-distanced those employees who belong to vulnerable groups and adopted a home office regime for teams in administrative functions. The Commercial Sales and Demand Force teams started working remotely as well, and all personal visits to physicians were suspended. We have also restricted all national and international travel.

For employees in our manufacturing plants, whose efforts have allowed us to continue offering people a better life, we have introduced a work rotation system, reinforced site hygiene and changed routes and access to reduce people contact with any objects. We also anticipated the annual influenza vaccination campaign.

We have guaranteed all the necessary safety conditions for our service providers, by alternating shifts and aligning with partner companies to also adopt this best practices.

We also increased disclosure of the exclusive channels provided by healthcare plans, which are available to all employees and their legal dependents, so that everyone have safe guidance and good healthcare practices. We also became available online medical consultation and psychological service 24 hours a day, and kept our Health and Life team always available; team members actively contacted employees on a daily basis to monitor them and support their physical and mental health.

This scenario led us to discover new ways of being close to people, even though we were physically distant: live streams, periodic communications, conversations between managers and their employees, online talent shows, talent workshops, and other actions for supporting and socializing that we implemented in the pandemic.

Since August 2020, we have been able to count on the consultation services of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital to validate our plan to return to work in our offices and confirm the actions aiming ensuring the safety of our employees. The structure of our plants was adapted and our employees have gradually returned, with the teams alternating.

DOCTORS

Aché was one of the first companies to adopt virtual visits to doctors. The Company was already prepared to adopt the new model because we already had the Conecta Aché platform and expertise in virtual relationships, which allowed us to expand and interact with doctors by audio and video in real time. We also expanded the use of channels such as telephone, email and WhatsApp.

Aché also released exclusive content for doctors, used web meetings, podcasts and live streams, and strengthened Aché.doc, a platform containing information about clinical cases, medical lessons, scientific studies, and health news, and having a specific area about Covid-19.

CONSUMERS AND CUSTOMERS

For consumers and customers, we make content available via Aché’s social networks and the Care for Life Benefits Program, with guidance on Covid-19 and updates during the period of social distancing. With the increased amount of information released by the media, we aimed to provide assertive guidelines to support everyone’s protection.

In 2020, the website (www.cuidadospelavida.com.br) played an important role during the pandemic situation and social isolation, promoting campaigns and guidance on how patients could overcome this moment. The material was viewed more than 27 million times, and more than 16 million emails were sent to patients with informative content, which build a current library of more than 4,000 reports and items of information. Countless actions and educational campaigns were also published on Care for Life’s social media, reaching more than one million followers on Facebook, and more than 40,000 people on Instagram.

The Customer Service Center (CAC) has been contacted 54,285 times since the beginning of the pandemic by consumers, pharmacies and drugstores, distributors, doctors and other healthcare professionals. This number includes contact by phone, email, WhatsApp, social networks (Facebook and Instagram) and Reclame AQUI [Complain HERE] platform.

SOCIETY

Aché is also committed to generating value for our society, which is fully in line with its purpose. We invested R$ 6.5 million in actions aimed at health professionals, hospitals, governments and communities, starting with the emergency donation of medicines and the production of alcohol in bottles to help to prevent Covid -19.

We also support the Cabo Urgente Covid-19 project for distributing food, cleaning and personal hygiene kits to vulnerable families, and masks and bottles of alcohol gel that are produced by the Company. Altogether, 54,000 items were delivered in partnership with the Department of Economic Development of Pernambuco, through the Suape Port Industrial Complex, and supported by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).