MAKING AN INNOVATIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES
ILEX SOUTH AFRICA
TRANSFORMING TREATMENT For ILEX South Africa, making a difference in people’s lives is the mission, while agile, patient-centric innovation is the solution Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Callam Waller As a kid I was always very interested in the medical field. My mother worked in the operating theatre for most of her life, and based on the stories that she told me I decided I wanted to explore the diagnostic and in vitro diagnostic 2 | Africa Outlook issue 78
device (IVD) field, with the aim of bettering the lives of patients. “The difference one person can make at the end of the day is so motivating and inspiring – I would not change it for anything in the world.” Albeit a vastly complex and highly
skilled field of work, the medical sector is one primed for those with philanthropic tendencies. In South Africa, the average life expectancy of citizens improved by an astounding 8.9 years between 2008 (54.7 years) and 2018 (63.6 years),
HEALTHCARE on accurate and on-time diagnosis delivered by our instruments on a daily basis. “We carefully select and design products which provide solutions and fulfil the needs of our customers and the market. Above all we strive to make a difference in people’s lives.”
A PILLAR OF PROACTIVITY In many ways, the organisation has been successful to this end. The South African division, an entity in the ILEX group which has been 27 years in the making, has made numerous breakthroughs to the benefit of patients and practitioners alike over the years, maintaining the same vision throughout with its portfolio providing the proof thereof. The Panther – its blood screening and diagnostics platform – is but one example of this. It is a fully automated molecular system used for the screening of blood donations for HIV-1, HIV-2, HepB and HepC or for various diagnostic molecular tests like HIV Viral Load, Human Papillomavirus, Hepatitis B/Hepatitis C Viral Load and other sexually transmitted diseases. Blood transfusion screening, which is offered by ILEX South Africa, is one of the most sensitive methods to prevent potentially infected blood
owed to the commendable efforts of medical professionals, from the doctors on the ground to those innovating new, life-changing technologies. The latter can be said of JC Stoltz, the voice behind the opening statement, who today stands as the Managing Director and General Manager of ILEX South Africa – one of the major suppliers of IVD products in the country, with a strong emphasis on blood banks, molecular diagnostics, critical care products and laboratory information systems. “The main differentiator of ILEX is our dedication to the patient,” Stoltz affirms. “Patients are dependent
donations from causing infections in patients who have had a blood transfusion. “Most blood donations in our region go to mothers who have given birth, oncology patients and accident victims where the prevention of new infections is paramount,” Stoltz explains. “This technology has been used since 2005 to screen all blood transfusions in South Africa and is now also being used in Namibia, eSwatini and Mauritius, and will soon be rolled out across Botswana.” Alongside Panther, ILEX South Africa also offers Orsyx: eL@b, a powerful laboratory information management system that helps meet the challenges of modern multi-disciplinary clinical laboratories, as well as iSpot – a solution facilitating the transportation of specimens across vast regions without the need for cold storage using a DBS sample. “iSpot in particular has proven hugely successful in testing for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and the monitoring of infants on HIV anti-retrovirals,” the MD adds. “Our team has also developed SelfCerv, allowing women to self-collect a vaginal specimen for cervical cancer screening using our Panther instruments, developed specifically to support the necessity to increase screening for cervical cancer in those communities which need it most. “Meanwhile, Inova, the only system in the African market to consolidate autoimmune results on one platform, and Blood Gas, a test measuring the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, are two of our other key products.”
EMBRACING INDUSTRY 4.0
JC Stoltz, Managing Director and General Manager of ILEX South Africa
The sheer breadth of solutions offered by the company is impressive, its portfolio having grown with the times as ILEX continually endeavours to meet the most pressing medical needs of patients across the continent. And while past breakthroughs have Africa Outlook issue 78 | 3
G
rifols is a global healthcare company that since 1909 has enhanced the health and wellbeing of people around the world. Its four divisions - Bioscience, Diagnostic, Hospital and Bio Supplies - develop, produce and market innovative solutions and services in more than 100 countries. As pioneers in the plasma industry, Grifols is one of the largest plasma companies, with a growing network of donation centers worldwide. It develops this plasma into essential medicines used to treat rare, chronic and, at times, life-threatening conditions. As a recognized leader in transfusion medicine, Grifols also offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions designed to enhance safety from donation through transfusion. And the company supplies tools, information and services that enable hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare professionals to efficiently deliver expert medical care. Grifols, with more than 22,000 employees in more than 30 countries, is committed to a sustainable business model that sets the standard for continuous innovation, quality, safety and ethical leadership in the industry.
An experienced and trusted partner, Grifols advances patient care with innovative diagnostic solutions that improve disease detection and management and simplify laboratory operations. Today, we empower customers with diagnostic products that span the healthcare continuum – from prevention, screening, diagnosis, and prognosis to disease and treatment monitoring. As a recognized leader in transfusion medicine, the Diagnostic Division offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions designed to enhance safety from donation through transfusion. The division advances patient care with diagnostic solutions to improve disease detection and management as well as simplify laboratory operations. For further information, please visit www.grifols.com
DIAGNOSTIC DIVISION
ADVANCING TRANSFUSION SAFETY GLOBAL SOLUTIONS. FOCUSED CARE.
We advance transfusion safety through our:
Grifols transfusion medicine portfolio
Leadership: We apply our extensive global expertise across the transfusion continuum.
COLLECTION
History: We have a strong legacy of scientific discoveries and a powerful history of first-to-market innovations.
SCREENING
Commitment: The same commitment Dr. Grifols took in the 1920s to design a safer method for performing blood transfusions in Spain drives Grifols today towards ensuring safety within the transfusion chain, from donor to patient. It’s in the Grifols DNA. Partnership: How we work is just as important as what we deliver. Whether your center needs educational mentorship, expert workflow design, implementation support, user training or timely technical service, you have a partner that delivers support you can count on. Learn more at www.diagnostic.grifols.com
Blood collection, processing, & preservation
Infectious disease testing
TYPING Compatibility & pre-transfusion testing
TRANSFUSION Transfusion, transfer, & traceability
ILEX SOUTH AFRICA
continued to push the boundaries of the modern healthcare market, it is anticipated that the coming years will see innovation in the sector, once again, leap to new heights – an eventuality that both Stoltz and the ILEX South Africa team are more than prepared for. “The most exciting part of our industry at the moment is the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution,” the MD reveals. “It’s on our doorstep. The future is uncertain, albeit exciting, when it comes to cyber-physical systems with entirely new capabilities for both people and machines. “Innovation will have a new definition! The rapid changes in technology will change the face of healthcare as we know it.” Owing to company culture, adaptation and evolution at ILEX is a given, within this progressive environment. What is more important in the eyes of Stoltz, however, is how the firm will be able to maintain its customer-first approach while it navigates what is fast becoming a rapidly revolutionising space. Striking this balance will be critical. “Right now, our main investment and focus is in resources in order to support our growing customer base across the continent,” Stoltz states. “We continue to develop and upgrade 6 | Africa Outlook issue 78
our eL@b software, and there is a continued focus on finding innovative solutions to challenges our customers and patients face.” Likewise, committing time and funding to the coherent development of the company’s human resource base is equally a crucial part of this approach. Staff are rightly viewed as being of paramount importance to ILEX’s ability to provide reliable service. Offering regular, high quality training is a primary way in which the company is able to impart benefit to its employees, who in turn are better equipped
to impart benefit to the company’s clientele. “We believe in education and value the contribution it brings,” Stoltz iterates. “More than 80 percent of our staff are currently involved in formal and non-formal education. We allow engineering students to complete their 12-month practical with us, and we currently have one student that will complete his practical in December who has been offered permanent employment with us. “For the last two years, we’ve also assisted visually impaired learners by upskilling them as they gear up to enter the job market.”
PLAYING A VITAL ROLE IN PROGRESS As demonstrated by its commitment to employment efforts, giving back to local people is a huge part of ILEX South Africa’s overall remit. Indeed, the company’s operations have had a huge impact on the country and the wider continent at large. The company’s role as a socioeconomic champion does not end here; it is also engaged in a broad corporate social responsibility strategy.
Q: HOW CRUCIAL ARE YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTNERS AND VENDORS? JC Stoltz: “In order to support our customers across the region we built a dedicated warehouse. This gives us flexibility and the control of our supply chain to fulfil customers’ needs, a crucial element when dealing with IVD equipment and reagents. This maximises our efficiency in getting products to customers at the right place, at the right time and in the right condition. “Partners and supplier relationships are very important for the success of our business. These long-term relationships are crucial, and our close cooperation with our partners contributes to our success. Logistics in our region is faced with its own unique challenges which can result in operational failures. Therefore, being in control of our supply chain, working closely with our long-term partners and employing staff with international supply chain knowledge, allows us to overcome these challenges.”
HEALTHCARE
09 Galaxy Ave Linbro Park Sandton Johannesburg
Currently we service 80% of the Diagnostic Industries distribution throughout South Africa, and we cover the rest of Africa and the world (in bound and out bound) via an international third party.
Pathteq QPL Logistics was established in September 2000 with the aim to service the Pathology and Medical markets.
Local deliveries are done through owner drivers. Warehousing facilities are also available which offer: - Warehousing - Picking and packing - Distribution
As part of this, the firm supports Rise Against Hunger – an international hunger relief organisation that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable – on an annual basis. “Every year the entire company gets together to pack food parcels,” Stoltz affirms. “This year we packed 10,000 meals to support this worthy cause. “We also back the SAME foundation which partners with hospitals and clinics to supply the equipment and infrastructure they need in order to service large communities.” More recently, beginning in 2018, the company has been working in conjunction with Hologic and the Clinton Health Access Initiative on the launch of the Global Access Initiative, allowing for increased access to HIV-1 Viral Load testing in countries across Africa for patient monitoring. One of ILEX’s key priorities for the coming year is the expansion of access to its HIV monitoring and diagnosis
tools via its Panther systems. “We’re actively aligning ourselves with the UNAIDS 90-90-90 global goals,” Stoltz explains, pointing to the global ambition striving to ensure 90 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 percent of those diagnosed receive treatment, and 90 percent of people receiving treatment have viral suppression by 2020. “Increased access to and support of our Panther system specifically addresses the first and third goal, through increased access to HIV diagnosis and the subsequent monitoring of viral load suppression of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment.” And while ILEX South Africa continues to play its part in bolstering the current healthcare environment, so too does the wider community and public sector – a source of great optimism in the eyes of the MD. For this reason, he is able to conclude in buoyant fashion: “The arena is changing with the dawn of
National Health Insurance (NHI) that will reshape healthcare and give equal access to healthcare to millions of people in need in South Africa. “The ambitious nature of this project means it will require creativity, dedication and commitment from stakeholders in order to ensure it succeeds, however, we are ready for such commitment and we’re looking forward to being part of the solution. “At this time in our country’s history, it is exciting to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the future of healthcare, both in South Africa and across the African continent.”
ILEX SOUTH AFRICA Tel: +27 (0) 11 804 4004 mail@ilex.co.za www.ilex.co.za
Africa Outlook issue 78 | 7
ILEX SOUTH AFRICA 19 Polo Crescent, Woodmead Office Park, Van Reenen Ave, Woodmead Tel: 011 804 4004 mail@ilex.co.za www.ilex.co.za
PRODUCED BY AFRICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE