SCIENCE AND NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE

INA BULAT,GENERAL MANAGER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MERCK SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO AND MERCK REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, ALBANIA AND NORTH MACEDONIA

Science And New Technology For THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEALTH

Viewed from an historical perspective, Merck has always worked to bridge the gap between the challenges of today and a better tomorrow. A constant commitment to innovation is a strategy that keeps Merck at the top

At Merck we strive to be supportive of women through numerous initiatives with which we want to empower them. We educate thousands of women in Serbia on a daily basis through our pages on social networks, and we will continue to do that in the years to come - says Merck’s Ina Bulat, speaking to CorD.

Merck has three priorities: performance, people and technology. Is that a strategy that the company has been employing throughout its 350 years and that has elevated your company to the top? - Merck works through scientific research to constantly seek answers to questions that haven’t even been asked yet, and the greatest motivation for that is to be found in the fact that our work in the domain of healthcare helps millions of people. Our research aims to improve, extend and create life. Merck is a company that has a past, present and future, and we at

Merck imposes the same standards of quality in the production and distribution of medicines at all of its representative offices around the world

Merck believe that science is the greatest driving force of this time and that its potential is being constantly renewed through discoveries.

You’ve spent years as the managing director of Merck. What characteristics must a woman have to maintain such a demanding job so successfully?

- Leadership at a company like Merck primarily implies caring with their teams to identify diagnostics and treatments for for employees and having a desire for constant progress. We COVID-19. In partnership with UNICEF, Merck also donated have an opportunity to learn a lot as part of one of the world’s 2.4 million dinars to the Serbian healthcare system. largest technology and science companies. And not only that ... We have an excellent opportunity to bring many innovations to First- and second-class markets and patients don’t exist for our country. And these innovations improve people’s health and Merck. Does this mean that medicines for Serbia, as well as lives. Merck has always viewed success through generations, other parts of Europe, are produced in the same place, usand not through business quarters, and we’ve transferred that ing the same substances and according to the same techbusiness philosophy to Serbia. nological process?

I personally find great satisfaction in all of our progress - The medicines that Merck brings to Serbia adhere to the – from the dedicated team, via operational results to social highest world standards and are completely the same as engagements. those in other countries in Europe or around the world. You educate women in Serbia on a daily basis, while you fight produced in the same place, using the same substances and to raise awareness about risk factors leading to the devel- according to the same technological process. Merck imposes opment of many diseases – from the thyroid gland, through the same standards of quality in the production and distribuinfertility to multiple sclerosis – for the earliest possible di- tion of medicines at all of its representative offices around agnosis and the highest quality therapy. the world. In Serbia, as in all major countries worldwide, we - It should be noted that women are much more affected than men in precisely some of the therapeutic areas Merck has always viewed success through generations, in which Merck holds a leadership position. Multiple sclerosis, for example, affects twice as many women as and not through business quarters, and we’ve men. Four to seven times more women than men have a transferred that business philosophy to Serbia thyroid disorder. In the field of in vitro fertilisation, we want to empower women because they suffer extreme and are present in the fields of cardiology, diabetes, endocrinolunjust pressure from society, although causes of infertility ogy, oncology, assisted reproduction and neurology. Merck are equally present in both sexes: a third of the causes come strives to bring new therapies to Serbia every year, as well from women, a third come from men and a third are due to as bringing innovations to existing areas of therapy. We want both partners. to support people in every phase of life, improving quality of

We will continue fighting to raise awareness of disease life and extending life itself. risk factors in women, for access to screening programmes, Merck’s medicines for Serbia and other parts of Europe are the earliest possible diagnoses and fair access to treatment Which innovations have you brought to Serbia this year and, for all women. in your opinion, what is the biggest success you’ve achieved in 2020? The eyes of the entire world have been focused for almost - We are proud that we’ve brought one of the biggest innovations the entire year on medical workers and the healthcare sys- in the field of neurology to Serbia this year. This is an innovative tem. How do you view this global pandemic? therapy for multiple sclerosis that represents a turning point - Merck globally is part of key initiatives aimed at ending the in the treatment of this disease. We have also just launched pandemic. Together with the Jenner Institute, we have developed a national campaign on the prevention of prediabetes, which a production platform that will enable the mass production is also gaining momentum among younger members of the of a future vaccine, and the joint team has reduced the time population due to an unhealthy lifestyle. We are currently also required for the development of a production process from working on establishing several internet platforms that will one year to just two months. We are collaborating with the serve to educate both the general public and health profesBill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the develop- sionals. And given that we’re a company that’s dedicated to ment, production and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and innovation, we are pleased to support the work of Strawberry treatment for COVID-19. Energy, as an innovative start-up company in the field of new

We would also remind readers that Merck awarded the technologies. In partnership with them, we have installed two “Insight into the Future” award in 2019, granting the amount of a smart benches - with solar chargers for mobile phones and free million euros for research in the field of pandemic preparation internet - within the Clinical Centre of Serbia. to scientists Pardis Sabeti, from Harvard University and the The greatest challenge this year, of course, was adjusting Broad Institute, and James Crowe, from Vanderbilt University. rapidly and digitising operations, which we implemented sucThanks to this award from Merck, they are today working cessfully thanks to our well-coordinated team.