After turning to TVT®, Morocco-based Pharma 5 was able to drastically improve their turnaround time by completing in just 15 minutes proofreading tasks that once took 12 hours.
The Challenge
Pharma 5 places great importance on making medicine accessible as quickly as possible. With over US$100 million in annual sales, this Morocco based company continuously monitors its processes in order to identifying bottlenecks. Process efficiency in regulatory affairs, labeling and packaging documentation are integral to achieving this goal.
Before TVT was implemented, two members of the company’s Regulatory Affairs team were responsible for labeling, packaging and proofreading. One particularly time-consuming type of document was the legal mention, which typically has 15 pages or more. Furthermore, documents are published in Arabic, English and French.
It took two people approximately 12 hours to proofread a single 15-page legal document – a total of 24 employee working hours. One person read the original aloud and a second person proofed the PDF document.
Choosing TVT® (Text Verification Tool®)
Hinda Benkirane, manager of Pharma 5’s Regulatory Affairs team, began investigating other approaches using a set of clear criteria. A software solution was needed and it had to be able to compare tables. Catching deviations in font and punctuation between original and artwork documents was also crucial. The software, which needed to be reliable, should be able to verify large documents like the 15-page legal mentioned above. Ultimately, it needed to save time and resources while meeting or exceeding the current quality of work.
TVT, the Text Verification Tool from Schlafender Hase, was recommended to them by the France-based regulatory service provider Atessia. Pharma 5 began implementing the software in November 2018. “Having a French-speaking account manager at Schlafender Hase was very helpful,” Benkirane explains. “We worked together to develop best practices in proofreading and improve our workflow.”
An example of workflow improvement was in the creation of PDF artworks. These were being returned from the Graphics department in vectorized text rather than as live text with Unicode. Marc Chaillou, Regional Sales Director from Schlafender Hase, quickly identified this problem and liaised with the Pharma 5 team to resolve it. Once the change to non-vectorized text in PDF format was implemented, the Regulatory Affairs team was able to detect any deviations between the original and the artwork in seconds with TVT.
“Because proofreading has become more efficient and accurate, we are able to spend more time and resources on creating original documents of higher quality from the beginning,” Benkirane explains. “This has been a really important benefit for us.” She adds that the strain of proofreading has been reduced: “Now I have more certainty when I sign off a document. Our proofreader has the surety of a reliable proofreading tool, and our Graphics department is dealing with fewer revision cycles. Everyone is very happy with the solution.”
Conclusion
Since the introduction of TVT, the amount of time spent on proofreading has been very significantly reduced, resulting in lower costs and higher productivity. Pharma 5 was thus not only able to maintain its position as leading pharmaceutical company on the African continent but was also able to grow at a rate well in the double digits.
“With simplified proofreading processes involving fewer steps, we know that our resources are being used more efficiently”, explains Benkirane. “The important time savings expected of TVT have been realized,” she concludes, “and all other criteria for choosing the software have been met.”
About Pharma 5
Founded in 1985, Pharma 5 is a leading pharmaceutical company on the African continent. It is also the leading provider of medicines to Moroccan hospitals and the country’s principle exporter of medicines in Africa. It produces and markets over 400 products, focusing on a range of innovative as well as generic drugs. Pharma 5 has been active in the fight against tuberculosis for over 25 years while also playing a significant role in the fight against Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C on the African continent. It employs 1,500 people at 15 production units. Find out more at www.pharma5.ma.
About Schlafender Hase
Since Schlafender Hase® introduced TVT®, the Text Verification Tool®, this software has taken the lead in providing intelligent, automated text and graphic proofreading solutions for the most regulated industries. Schlafender Hase’s client list includes the world’s leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Schlafender Hase is currently expanding its focus to bring the same time-saving and increased productivity benefits gained by this sector to pre-media and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) clients. Schlafender Hase is proud to be known for product quality, service excellence and customer success. Founded in 2001, the company is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany with a North American division in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Find out more at www.schlafenderhase.com.
