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Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery Statement 2023

Accord Healthcare Ltd, Accord-UK Ltd and all subsidiaries (“Accord Healthcare EMENA”, “we”) Prohibition Against Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery - Modern Slavery Act 2015
 

Accord Healthcare is committed to meeting the highest legal, regulatory and ethical standards in all areas of our business, as well as within our supply chain. We have a long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility and this includes upholding human rights and ensuring that modern slavery (in all its forms) is not tolerated within our global business or our supply chain. Accord Healthcare has a zero- tolerance approach to modern slavery wherever we conduct business around the world.

Accord Healthcare has grown rapidly to become one of the fastest growing generics and biosimilar pharmaceutical companies in the world with ambitions to ‘make it better’ through its mission to ensure patients gain access to high quality and affordable medicines throughout the world.

Accord Healthcare belongs to the Intas Pharmaceuticals group of companies, a network that reaches over 80 countries around the world and an extensive presence in EMENA, the Americas and APAC.

Pursuant to applicable regulations, including Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act of 2015, Accord Healthcare provides the following statement:

This statement sets out actions taken by Accord Healthcare to understand and mitigate potential modern slavery risks related to our business and to put in place steps that are aimed at ensuring there is no slavery or human trafficking either in our own business or in our supply chain.

Accord Healthcare’s modern slavery statement is based on the definitions set out in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and is guided by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions of the International Labour Organisation particularly relating to forced or compulsory labour.
 

Our Business

Accord Healthcare business is the development, manufacture and sale of pharmaceutical products to hospitals, community pharmacies, clinical groups, dispensing doctors and wholesalers across Europe, Middle East and North Africa. We deliver high quality affordable medicines to address unmet needs for patients all over the world. In addition to our broad in-house capabilities, Accord Healthcare has a successful history of strong and long-term partnering.

Accord Healthcare has direct control over all steps of the development, registration, production, testing, quality control, supply chain and pharmacovigilance (PV) processes to support our supply to over 80 countries worldwide across EMENA, the Americas and APAC.

Accord Healthcare believes in the protection of human rights globally both in the workplace at our own facilities and within our supply chain. We prohibit slavery or human trafficking of any kind and are committed to promoting responsible business practices with our suppliers.

Through the work we do, we seek to build and maintain excellent relations with our employees, as well as with our suppliers, and in doing so, robust processes are put into place to identify and mitigate areas of risk including modern slavery and human trafficking. With dedicated internal resource we are able to manage and develop our principles that govern all areas of risk while ensuring we have a training and awareness framework to mitigate modern slavery and human trafficking.

 

Our Policies

Accord Healthcare’s policies, including our Code of Conduct, set out our legal and ethical principles demonstrating our approach and responsibility in respecting all human rights. Our policies define our values, ethics and expectations regarding responsible business conduct, as well as the standards that we require all employees to follow, including fairness, diversity and inclusion, anti-harassment and bullying, human trafficking and slavery. These policies also define our approach as a company in our relationships with third parties.

 

Training and Risk Awareness

Accord Healthcare conducts regular awareness training for all employees, with additional support given to those in roles considered to have a sensitive element or which exposes them to areas of enhanced risk.

The training provides details on laws and ethics as well as arming each individual with knowledge to help them to spot possible warning signs of worrying behaviour, while detailing avenues of support for escalating any concerns.

We have a process in place that allows employees to raise concerns safely in a number of ways without risk of retaliation, one of them allowing them to remain protected from identification. Accord Healthcare takes any report seriously and will investigate all concerns raised.

 

Accountability Standards and Values

Accord Healthcare holds each individual employee to the highest level of ethical and social responsibilities. We encourage all employees to act with integrity, while working together to drive our business forward, ensuring risk is mitigated and ensuring we operate in a compliant and ethical manner.

Employees who do not comply with our policies may be subject to investigation according to our disciplinary policy, which may result in disciplinary procedures including dismissal.

To the extent permitted by law and contractual provisions governing termination rights, we reserve the right to terminate relationships with third parties, including suppliers, who conduct business in a manner that conflicts with our policies.

 

Assessment of modern slavery risk

Our firm belief is that the risk of modern slavery in our directly employed workforce is low due to the highly regulated nature of our industry. We recognise that our exposure to the risk of modern slavery increases when we engage with third parties in certain sectors and countries.

 

Our Supply Chain

Accord Healthcare purchases medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients and componentry from third party suppliers. Accord Healthcare’s goal is to work with suppliers who embrace and comply with both the laws and our principles, and, in turn, have these suppliers encourage compliance from any suppliers with whom they work.

We expect all suppliers to act in accordance with our strong values, continually operating ethically, fairly and with the highest integrity.

 

Due Diligence

Whilst Accord Healthcare neither requires annual certifications nor conducts formal on-site audits of all its’ supplier relationships, we do conduct new supplier due diligence via a Know Your Business Partner process which includes assessment of the supplier’s modern slavery position, where they are required to publish one by law, a review of publicly-available news related to legal and ethical practices/ violations and a questionnaire requesting more detailed information about the suppliers’ operations and key employees.

We regularly review the limitations and requirements of the due diligence processes in operation. We also conduct on-site visits of our primary suppliers from time to time to review and discuss contract and quality performance. All suppliers and business partners are reviewed in line with a documented programme based on a pre-defined risk profile. Any suppliers or business partners who no longer meet our high expectations, or who contravene laws or display negative behaviours, may as a consequence, be discontinued from use. Any exceptions to the above diligence are risk assessed and reviewed by the Senior Director Compliance EMENA before proceeding with the business relationship. Accord Healthcare also offers training support for partners without established compliance frameworks in place.

We are targeting SMETA supplier audits for our key suppliers by mid- 2024 to ensure continued development of our suppliers' respect of workers.

 

Further steps

Accord Healthcare will continue to review and improve its practices to identify and eliminate potential modern slavery or human trafficking from our business, which includes further development of our Third- Party Risk Management Framework.

 

Reporting and investigating concerns

Accord Healthcare strives to adhere to the highest ethical standards of business conduct for its employees and business partners.

We strive to maintain a safe environment where people feel confident to raise concerns about possible breaches of our internal policies or a suspected breach of country laws or regulations. Employees within Accord Healthcare are actively encouraged to raise issues internally via their line manager or HR or report potential concerns to an independent third-party provider through our Speak Up Hotline, confidentially and anonymously if they prefer. Accord Healthcare is committed to promptly investigating all reports of possible misconduct and any unethical, illegal or inappropriate activity. For the financial year ended 31st March 2023 no reports have been received in relation to modern slavery or human trafficking.

 

Approval process

Accord Healthcare operates and manages its subsidiaries through policies, processes and systems which are designed to be consistently applied across the EMENA Region.

This statement has been prepared after consulting with the key relevant functions which collaborate to deliver our labour rights risk identification, assessment and management processes for our operations and supply chain.
 

Date of Statement 2023
Our next statement will follow the year ending 31st March 2024.

General
www.accord-healthcare.com (the “Site") is owned and operated by Accord Healthcare, Ltd. (“Accord”), a company registered in England and Wales, with company number 04596349 and with registered office at Sage House, 319 Pinner Road, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4HF, United Kingdom. Accord’s VAT number is GB 894350693.

Terms of Use
By accessing the Site or by otherwise accessing any content found on this Site, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“T&C”).

Contents of this Site
All the information and contents of the Site (including, but not limited to, its graphics, logos, designs, images and source codes used for programming) are the property of Accord or its licensors, as the case may be.

You may not use or reproduce or allow anyone to use or reproduce any “Accord” names and logos, and any other graphics or trademarks (whether registered or unregistered) appearing on the Site for any reason without written permission from Accord.

The software that operates the Site is proprietary software and you may not use it except as expressly allowed under these T&C. You may not copy, reverse engineer, modify or otherwise deal with the software.

Where the Site contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information and convenience only. Accord does not have control over, and is not responsible for, the availability and content of those sites and resources. 

Changes to the Site, its contents and these T&C
Accord reserves the right to alter the Site, its contents and these T&C at any time, without prior notice. Any modification will take effect immediately. You agree to check these T&C regularly for modifications and additions.

Contents Use
You may download material displayed on the Site for non-commercial, personal use only, provided you also retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the materials or as specified on the Site. Save as expressly permitted above, all use and reproduction of any material on this Site or any incorporation of the same into any other material, in whatever media or format, is strictly prohibited. You agree not to use the Site for any commercial or business purposes.

Slavery and Human Trafficking
Accord is absolutely committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its business activities and ensuring to the best of its ability that its supply chain is free from such activities. For further details, see Accord’s Modern Slavery Act Statement.

Personal Data
Accord may process the personal data supplied by you to Accord in accordance with Accord’s Cookies and Privacy Policy.

Liability and Indemnity
Although Accord endeavours to ensure the high quality and accuracy of the Site, Accord makes no warranty, express or implied, such as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy, of the contents of the Site, which are provided "as is".

In no event will Accord, its affiliates, agents, suppliers or licensors be liable for any direct, special, incidental, exemplary, punitive, consequential or other loss or damage (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information or other pecuniary loss) that may arise directly or indirectly from the use of (or failure to use) or reliance on the contents of this Site, even if Accord has been advised of the possibility that such damages may arise. For the avoidance of doubt:

  • Accord does not guarantee absence of virus or other elements that could damage or alter your computer system, electronic documents or files. Accord hereby notifies to all users that these may occur. Therefore, Accord does not accept liability for any damage that these elements could cause to you or to third parties.
  • Accord will not be liable if for any reason the Site is unavailable at any time or for any period. Accord accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions, delays, or losses including loss of data during or as a result of the unavailability of the Site.

You agree to indemnify Accord, its affiliates, agents, suppliers or licensors immediately on demand, against all claims, liability, damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of any breach of these T&C by you or your use of the Site.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These T&C will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England. You (and Accord) submit irrevocably to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Other Terms
Notices to Accord must be given in writing, by letter, and sent to Sage House, 319 Pinner Road, North Harrow Middlesex, HA1 4HF, United Kingdom.

If any provision in these T&C is determined to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, then such provision or part of it shall, to the extent that it is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, be deemed not to form part of these T&C and the legality, validity and enforceability of the remainder of these T&C shall not be affected.

Save as expressly referred to therein, Accord makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to Site and its contents.

Headings in these T&C are for convenience only and have no legal meaning or effect, nor shall they be taken into account in interpreting these T&C.

Accord rights under the T&C may be waived only in writing and specifically.

The board of directors and management teams of Accord Healthcare Ltd’s (AHL) and its subsidiaries are fully committed to complying with competition law. The fundamental objective of competition law is to prevent distortion of competition in the market because competition ensures an efficient allocation of resources and, ultimately, enhances consumer welfare.

AHL is committed to bringing affordable life-saving medicines to patients and has thus adopted a robust compliance programme that includes a fair competition policy, employee training to aid understanding of competition law and how it applies to our business, and a whistleblowing line allowing our employees and business partners to safely (and anonymously) report any policy breaches.

 

Accord Healthcare Ltd Board of Directors
October 2019