GSK, a Global Company of Responsible Business

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals Ltd., based in Gödöllő, about 30 kilometers northeast of Budapest, serves as one of the world’s centers of excellence for vaccine manufacturing. The Gödöllő site has been producing vaccine components, bulk antigen and carrier protein since 2002, building on a 50-year scientific competence heritage in Hungary.

The site produces the raw materials for approximately 100 million vaccine doses each year and these components are delivered to other GSK sites in the network for further manufacturing. The final products, providing protection against life-threatening diseases, reach 96 countries worldwide and contribute to protecting the health of many people in the world, including infants, children, adolescents and the elderly, Site Director Ibolya Tarjáni, a professional with extensive pharmaceutical career, explains to Diplomacy&Trade.

Employees at the heart of operation
She adds that at the site, they are providing a safe work environment to around 300 people, while operating in full compliance with the relevant Hungarian and international requirements, with the aim to protect the health of employees and patients worldwide.
“In Gödöllő, we have always put people at the heart of our operations. Our employees cooperate and collaborate, boosted by a unique factor that nearly half of our workforce holds a university degree. Here, engineers, scientists and highly skilled technicians are all contributing to global health to get ahead of disease, working every day in an international and dynamic environment, fully leveraging everyone’s talent and enabling each individual to keep learning and growing so that anyone can thrive,” Ibolya Tarjáni, a passionate supporter of a culture of collaboration, innovation and inclusion within the organization and the local community, highlights.

Measures to protect the environment
So far, GSK invested around EUR 170 million in Gödöllő to guarantee the state-of-the-art capabilities both in infrastructure, technologies, automation and in human competencies to create a highly proficient environment for the manufacturing, development and testing of biologicals products.
GSK is committed to supporting the wellbeing of the communities in which it operates, including protecting the natural environment. The company is taking active steps to reduce the carbon footprint its operations and decrease its use of water and other natural resources.
The Site Director stresses that “at our Gödöllő site, these commitments are fully embedded in the way we operate, positioning the facility as a leader in responsible vaccine manufacturing. Couple of years ago, we launched a comprehensive, site wide initiative to support our efforts. We have installed a solar panel system on most of our buildings, we have been actively utilizing heat pumps (for heating and cooling) and optimized HVAC systems to reduce energy consumption of the site. These initiatives all aim to achieve full CO₂ neutrality by 2030 – an important milestone in our efforts to help safeguard the planet for future generations.”

GSK, a global company
GSK is a focused biopharma company that prevents and treats disease with specialty medicines, vaccines and general medicines. The company focuses on the science of the immune system and advanced technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas – respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.
Populations are ageing, chronic diseases are taking a greater toll than ever before, and infectious diseases are still spreading. All of this is creating unsustainable pressure on health systems and economies. “That’s why at GSK, we believe we have an opportunity to prevent disease in the first place, so we’re turning science and technology into solutions that can get ahead of disease – helping to prevent illness in the first place as well as intervening earlier to limit complications. More than ever, we believe that getting ahead of disease is the best investment – for patients, communities, health systems, the environment and economies. Together, we have an opportunity to reimagine health – to not just treat sickness, but to invest in keeping people well,” Ibolya Tarjáni emphasizes.

Areas of responsible business
At GSK, building trust and transparency remains central to sustaining innovation and bringing medicines and vaccines to patients; it is also core to delivering on the company’s ambitions for shareholders and society at large. As the Site Director puts it, “we recognize that challenge and this is why we have embedded six areas of responsible business – access; global health and health security; environment; inclusion and diversity; ethical standards; and product governance. These are the areas where we can have the greatest impact. This ranges from delivering medicines and vaccines to the right patient, at the right time, to responding to risks posed by new pandemics, increasing resistance to antimicrobials and addressing the consequences of climate change and nature loss.”
The GSK portfolio of more than 20 vaccines protects people at all stages of life – from birth (via maternal immunization) through infancy, childhood and adolescence, up to adulthood and elderly. To make this happen, GSK is partnering and cooperating with leading companies, institutions and experts to provide the best solutions possible.
“Every day, every minute in every region of the world, 4 children out of 10 are protected by a GSK vaccine. Thanks to the power of our worldwide manufacturing and supply network, our products are reaching a population of 160 countries globally,” GSK Gödöllő Site Director Ibolya Tarjáni concludes.