Teva Brings Vital Medication to New Markets with BLEND

About Teva

Teva is an Israeli-American company that has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. The company is a global leader in generic, biosimilar, and innovative medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with Teva’s established presence in generics, it has significant innovative research and operations supporting its growing portfolio of innovative medicines and biopharmaceutical products.

Teva specializes in the development of generic medicines, among them Copaxone®, a medication for Multiple Sclerosis considered one of the most effective in the world, and Azilect, indicated for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease across all its stages. Since the 1980s, Teva’s facility in Kfar Saba, Israel, has been one of the most important manufacturing sites of the global company. The facility manufactures tablets and capsules for oral use as well as injections. For more information, visit tevapharm.com.

The Challenge—Numerous Markets, Numerous Application Hurdles

“To approve a medication in different countries, we have to submit applications for registration in accordance with the requirements of each geography”, says director of the technological unit of the Kfar Saba site. “BLEND has been working with us for many years, helping us translate and prepare the registration documents in the format required by the health authorities of each country.”

The translation of applications is a technical task that requires in-depth knowledge of the subject matter,
professionalism, and utmost accuracy. Even before the translation itself, there is a very intensive preliminary process that includes preparing and scanning numerous documents, which can take many hours and requires a high level of accuracy. The dynamics of the work poses another challenge. The documents must be scanned onsite in the facility in Kfar Saba, and the number of documents is always in flux. There are peaks with hundreds of documents to prepare and slower times – it is not a steady flow 365 days a year.

“Working with BLEND solves our technical issues as well,” adds the technological unit. “They are professionals, have people with knowledge in the type of documentation we need, and they also provide suitable equipment. They can adapt quickly to our changing needs, including providing backup when necessary.”

The Solution—Dedicated Teams, Subject Matter Experts

The solution required by Teva Kfar Saba required BLEND to establish a dedicated team that specializes in translation to the different target languages. They also put at the disposal of the pharmaceutical giant people with technical expertise in preparing the documents according to the required formats and in registration procedures, and also sophisticated scanning devices. For many reasons, including information-security considerations, the process had to be managed in two main centers – Teva’s facility and BLEND’s offices – while the translations were carried out by the translators.

First and foremost, BLEND solved our technical ‘headache.’ The translation and content company adapted itself to our needs and scope of work and provided backup in peak times. BLEND’s flexibility is perhaps the most important factor that led to the excellent relationship between our companies. They are always able to adapt to our needs, even on a very short notice. They have excellent control of the project at all times, and their project manager is in constant contact with us.

Inbal Amir-Cohen, VP Enterprise Clients, BLEND Israel (formerly Manpower Language Solutions), describes how the company adapted a solution based on Teva’s needs. “When we started working with Teva, it was clear that the subject matter is extremely technical and requires accuracy, in-depth understanding, uncompromising quality, and professional translations. We could not afford mishaps. After preparing detailed specifications of their needs and understanding the challenges, we consolidated a turnkey solution that includes both preparation of the documents and translation. We hired a professional team with both academic and practical knowledge in chemistry and pharmaceuticals and experience in the target languages. We equipped them with scanners, computers and all the equipment necessary to enable them to work smoothly and in compliance with information-security requirements. At the beginning of the process, we created the exact formats and an electronic database of registration files. We also established control processes for the translations by BLEND and Teva’s QA personnel.”

“Our main challenge was establishing the process as well as working in different locations, tight schedules, communications, and the ability to increase or decrease the number of people on demand. Together with Teva we established an amazing collaboration with ongoing contact between the teams, the project manager, and the customer.”

The Results—Smooth, Efficient Registration

Teva could not be more pleased with BLEND’s solution and process. “Already in the first submission the files went through smoothly, with no issues or hiccups,” said Amir-Cohen. “Files with thousands of pages were prepared at highest quality and accuracy, and we received very few remarks or corrections.”

Since then, the working relationship between the companies has improved to add more and more work. “Our method for assessing the quality of the translation is the number of rejects or complaints we receive from the different countries. The registration authorities check the files very carefully and we meet their expectations. We rarely encounter problems or receive comments from them, which attests to the high quality of BLEND’s work,” concludes the technological unit.

About BLEND Localization Services for Life Sciences

BLEND’s localization services for life science industries include an expert balance of medical knowledge, legal specialization, marketing acumen, and a native understanding of local languages and cultures. From trial data to packaging and patient-facing content, BLEND helps businesses, pharmaceutical companies, and care providers communicate with researchers, regulators, and families with natively local messaging in 120 languages.  