Adamed Pharma at the 32nd Economic Forum in Karpacz

Adamed Pharma representatives returned to Karpacz for the latest edition of the Economic Forum. It is Central and Eastern Europe’s largest economic event. The theme of this year’s Forum was “New Values of the Old Continent – Europe on the Threshold of Changes”. Along with decision-makers, experts and stakeholders, we debated about economic challenges, Poland’s security of medicines supply, also in the face of crises, as well as ESG and modern business standards.

The 32nd Economic Forum in Karpacz (5-7 September 2023) hosted plenty of interesting and substantive discussions. Katarzyna Dubno, Director for External Relations, ESG and Health Economics, appeared in two panel discussions: “Economic challenges at a time of crisis. The economy in the third decade of the 21st century” and “The patient in the healthcare system”.

The panelists who joined the discussion about the economy and its challenges addressed topics such as inflation, the need to increase defence spending and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the economic situation. Drawing on the perspective of their respective industries, they answered questions about how best to support the national economies, how to stimulate economic growth without incurring sovereign debt and which branches of the economy are currently worth investing in.

The experts emphasized that crises can bring about positive results if we only do our homework and learn to adapt well. This opportunity is clearly visible e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry, which was confronted during the pandemic with problems such as disrupted supply chains.

“The pandemic and the subsequent crises have taught us that we need adequate security in terms of medicines stocks. Polish patients experienced no drug shortages only because our domestic pharmaceutical industry is robust. However, 80% of all substances used to manufacture medicinal products are now produced in Asia. We need to gradually increase drug production in Poland. The provisions included in the amended drug reimbursement act are a good starting point on this journey we are embarking on,” commented Katarzyna Dubno.

Other participants of the panel discussion included: Paul Ross, economist, former Head of Mission in Afghanistan, International Monetary Fund (IMF), USA; Kuba Kiwior, Regional Managing Director CEE, Visa Europe Management Services Ltd; Yaser Faquih, Deputy Minister for Economic Research and Analyses, Ministry of the Economy and Planning, Saudi Arabia and Filip Grzegorczyk, Vice-President of the Management Board, Azoty Group.

During the third day of the Economic Forum in Karpacz, security of medicines supply was also among the topics of the debate entitled: “The patient in the healthcare system”. The invited panel members focused on patients and their needs as a factor that unites all the healthcare system stakeholders. It was emphasized that despite the efforts, ensuring quick and appropriate care, including uninterrupted access to medicines, still remains a significant challenge. The experts underscored the importance of long-term supply security and preventing drug shortages. They proposed recommendations for resolving the problem of limited availability of healthcare services and health exclusion, as well as addressed the place of the patient within the system.

“Adamed Pharma sees medicines supply security for Polish citizens, and thus the availability of medicines, as a priority. To achieve that, we have tripled our stock levels since 2019. We have also increased our production capacity and our development potential in the field of R&D. One year of intense legislative work is behind us. Poland’s sovereignty and independence with regard to medicinal products is the most essential task for domestic drug manufacturers,” emphasized Katarzyna Dubno during the debate.

The experts also touched upon patients’ health needs and appropriate primary healthcare. Participants of the debate included Vice Minister of Health Maciej Miłkowski, as well as: Ewa Krajewska, Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector; Joanna Lis, Head of Market Access Polska, Sanofi Polska; Bartłomiej Chmielowiec, Patient Ombudsman, and Tomasz Kaczyński, Partner at Domański Zakrzewski Palinka sp.k.

The last day of the Forum featured a debate entitled “ESG – a standard in modern business?” Adamed Pharma was represented by Martyna Strupczewska, Head of the company’s ESG Team.

The panel members emphasized that ESG, i.e. the factors underlying the non-financial ratings and scores of companies, states and other organisations, is becoming a standard and a direction for all modern companies and organisations to follow. It was pointed out that such changes are inevitable and that the modern world forces corporate owners to introduce certain standards.

During the debate, the experts also took on the question about why enterprises should emphasize sustainable development and social responsibility on multiple levels and how to achieve that. It was emphasized that ESG is becoming a standard in modern business and the only question left is not whether to implement it, but rather how to do it.

The debate also included contributions from the following participants: Barbara Dąbek, Director for Strategic Partnerships, WWF Poland Foundation; Dorota Halicka, Expert, DEKRA; Tomasz Korytkowski, Director for Corporate Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, Nestlé Polska and Agata Kruszec, Ph.D., Sustainability Lead, McDonald’s Polska.

Adamed Pharma was represented at the 32nd Economic Forum in Karpacz by a team from the External Relations, ESG and Health Economics Department, including: Katarzyna Dubno, Director for External Relations, ESG and Health Economics; Martyna Strupczewska, ESG Team Head; Agnieszka Rejer-Mellin, External Communications Expert; Robert Wiśniewski, External Relations Expert.

***

The 32nd Economic Forum in Karpacz featured more than 500 events related to politics, the economy, technology and culture. US Ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, was chosen as the event’s “Man of the Year”. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego received the “Company of Year” award, while the Warsaw School of Economics Award went to the accomplished cyclist and Tour de Pologne organizer, Czesław Lang.

More than 5,000 participants from 60 countries attended this year’s edition of the Economic Forum in Karpacz.