Gedeon Richter Media Richter provides humanitarian aid to Ukrainians affected by the war
Richter provides humanitarian aid to Ukrainians affected by the war
01/03/2022
Gedeon Richter’s leadership is shocked and greatly saddened as it follows the developments of the war in Ukraine. Richter’s marketing activities in Ukraine have been suspended until circumstances once again allow for normal operation.

Gedeon Richter has played an important role in the pharmaceutical supply of Ukraine for decades, presently we employ 200 people in the country. Our affiliate is based in Kyiv. To the best of our knowledge our colleagues in Ukraine are safe and well as far as circumstances allow, and their lives are not under direct threat.

Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned about their safety. We feel it is our responsibility as an employer as well as personal duty to help them in this situation as much as we can. Communication is vital in crisis situations, therefore Istvan Jakubovics, Country Manager of our Ukrainian affiliate, is in constant phone contact with our local colleagues. We assured them in a message that we continue to count on their work once normal operations resume. In addition, we transferred their wages ahead of schedule which has proved to be especially helpful with the increasingly limited money supply. We continue to work on finding other ways to support them financially.

As a socially responsible company with local presence in Ukraine, Gedeon Richter Plc. provides the following humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s population:

  • Donate HUF 10 million to the Charity Service of the Order of Malta, and an additional HUF 10 million to “Jónak lenni jó” (It’s good to be good), the donation initiative of the Hungarian public television.
  • Provide humanitarian pharmaceutical aid from our supplies in our customs warehouse in Ukraine if it is logistically possible.
  • Offer pharmaceutical donations of essential medicines to UNICEF and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid.
  • Organize a donation initiative on corporate group level to help our Ukrainian colleagues and their families.

Our company has played an important role in the essential pharmaceutical supply of Russia for more than 70 years, therefore we feel responsible for supplying the Russian patients, too. A significant number of them with chronic illnesses have been taking Richter’s medicines for years. According to our information operations are uninterrupted in the country, and it is too early to responsibly judge the potential effect of the restrictions against Russia on our Company and the pharmaceutical supply we provide.

We remain hopeful that the situation will be resolved soon, peace talks can begin, and the conditions for the long term development of the region can be restored.