2/7/2022

Grünenthal considers the outbreak and spread of Covid-19 to be a serious situation and fully recognises its responsibilities related to safeguarding the well-being and safety of our employees. We work to ensure an uninterrupted supply of our medicines for patients and supporting communities with curbing the Covid-19 outbreak.

Currently, many countries are implementing additional measures to curb the spread of the virus, as the rate of infections is rising around the world. We have therefore re-confirmed our global guidance, which clearly states the minimum requirements that must be followed regardless of the specific national situation.

Global guidelines for Grünenthal

The global guidelines cover safety and hygiene rules that all employees worldwide must adhere to. For example, office-based staff are encouraged to continue working remotely if possible. Buildings and open spaces should be used to a maximum of 50 percent of their capacity, and a 1.5-meter minimum distance must be maintained at all times. All employees must apply all hygiene measures recommended by the WHO and additionally check their temperature daily before entering Grünenthal facilities. They must wear a FFP2-mask at our sites and inside our buildings unless they are alone in an office. Grünenthal provides FFP2-masks for all employees worldwide.

In addition, employees who belong to risk groups – including those with underlying chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease – have been specifically advised to remain at home whenever possible.

Grünenthal employees who have had contact with an infected person must not come to work. Instead, they are asked to consult a doctor immediately and work remotely for at least 14 days.

Business travel restrictions
Grünenthal has implemented global business travel restrictions stating that international travel is prohibited until end of March 2022. Domestic travel is allowed wherever this is permitted by local government regulations. Wherever possible, our employees should travel by car rather than by public transport.

For all travel by public transport – including air travel – safety measures that have been issued by local governments must be respected. This may include wearing masks, social distancing or testing, for example.

Grünenthal’s travel restrictions also apply to business partners who are visiting one of our sites.

Current status at our production sites
To maintain the production and supply of medicines for patients, Grünenthal is closely monitoring the situation at its production sites and throughout its supply chain. Grünenthal’s production sites are being managed carefully and we are constantly assessing the situation as it develops. Employees have been advised to adhere to very strict hygiene rules. Currently, all sites are operating.

At our headquarters and across all of our production sites, the number of external visitors is being kept to a minimum. For example, all appointments with external parties are being postponed unless they are business-critical. Visitors must follow strict precautionary measures.

Current status within our supply chain
We are not currently experiencing any significant supply shortages. However, Grünenthal purchases raw materials and finished products directly and indirectly around the globe, including major pharmaceutical supply markets such as China, India and the US. In this context, we are in close exchange with our brokers and suppliers, and are constantly monitoring the situation. In general, Grünenthal follows a strict inventory and safety stock policy that enables us to mitigate short-term supply shortages and ensure that we can supply our products to patients. If our Business Continuity team detects any severe supply shortages that might potentially disrupt the supply of our products, we will inform our affected partners as soon as possible.