“Servier Ukraine” GM Nicolas Clavreul gave an interview to the Business Ukraine Magazine dedicated to the work of French companies in Ukraine, in which he noted that despite the challenges caused by the war, “Servier” continues to expand its presence in Ukraine and support the country's integration into European healthcare standards.
In the article, Mr. Clavreul tell about the company's development plans, access to innovative medicines, humanitarian initiatives of the French charity foundation Mecenat Servier and other important aspects of the company's operations in Ukraine.
Servier GM Nicolas Clavreul believes there is considerable growth potential in the Ukrainian pharma market
Despite the significant challenges posed by the war, French pharmaceutical company Servier is looking forward to expanding its Ukrainian presence and supporting the country’s ongoing transition toward the latest European healthcare standards, says Nicolas Clavreul, the General Manager of Servier in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s healthcare sector has been rocked by the past two and a half years of unprecedented turbulence, but Mr. Clavreul says this instability is now becoming less of a factor. He notes that the country’s pharmaceuticals market declined by approximately thirty percent in 2022, before rebounding by around ten percent during the following year as millions of Ukrainian refugees returned home. “We are not anticipating any major growth in the next few years, but the market has certainly stabilized,” he comments.
As an international pharmaceutical company in Ukraine, Servier’s core activity involves interaction with healthcare professionals across the country. Since the outbreak of hostilities, the company has maintained a presence throughout Ukraine, except for temporarily occupied territories, while also creating a more comprehensive online infrastructure to facilitate continued engagement in anticipation of potential changes to the security situation. “Ninety-five percent of contact between our medical representatives and Ukrainian healthcare professionals remains face to face, but we have also invested significantly over the past few years in the development of digital platforms that allow us to remain in contact in any circumstances and provide access to all of the information doctors may require,” explains Mr. Clavreul.
Servier is currently aiming to grow in Ukraine and is recruiting additional staff as it looks to introduce new oncology medications along with traditional company focuses such as cardiology and diabetes. This process is supported by ongoing educational efforts that aim to improve awareness among Ukrainians of the best available treatment options. Mr. Clavreul says he is particularly proud of how his team has been able to make the company’s latest pharmaceutical innovations available to Ukrainian patients as quickly as possible. “Our newest products have reached Ukraine within twelve months of their launch in Europe and the US,” he notes.
Much depends on building productive partnerships with the Ukrainian authorities and the country’s healthcare industry within legal frameworks. This often involves navigating a regulatory environment that is in many cases relatively new or still taking shape. Mr. Clavreul notes that as Ukraine advances toward the goal of future membership of the European Union, the country is trying to catch up and modernize the way it addresses access to medicines. He believes Servier can play an important role in this process. “It is a very exciting time and we see ourselves as partners in the transformation of the country that is currently underway,” he comments.
Servier’s support for Ukraine also extends to the humanitarian sphere. Working through the Mécénat Servier Charity Fund, Servier has donated equipment, medicines, and other aid to a wide range of Ukrainian healthcare providers. Mécénat Servier’s flagship project is the reconstruction of one of the biggest hospitals in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, which was heavily damaged during the initial phase of the war in 2022. Servier has allocated a sum of close to eight million euros out of thirteen and a half million euros in total aid to finance reconstruction work, representing substantial international charitable initiatives in wartime Ukraine.
These charity efforts help to underline the sheer scale of the task facing today’s Ukraine as it looks to defend itself and move toward a European future. Nevertheless, Mr. Clavreul argues that there are good reasons to adopt an optimistic long-term outlook for the country. “You have to be realistic and accept that there are risks, but if you are too conservative, you will never grow or provide patients with the chance to benefit,” he says. “I prefer to be optimistic. There is huge potential for Servier in Ukraine. I can already see the benefits we are providing thanks to the medicines we are bringing to the market. Based on this, I am confident we can continue to grow in the coming years.”
