In the pursuit of continuous improvement, we place great importance on the quality of our products and services to offer high standards to our stakeholders: veterinarians, farmers and animal owners. The demand for food is increasing worldwide, due to the growing population, which is increasingly mindful of its diet. In the face of this trend, our ambition is to work towards the constant improvement of the health of livestock animals to contribute to a global supply of better quality meat and milk at a lower cost.

Regarding companion animals, we are mobilizing to offer veterinarians and animal owners medicines, vaccines, health products and a range of foods that are tailored to a carnivorous diet (in keeping with the animals’ needs) and make it possible to prolong the lifespan of animals and improve their quality of life. This in turn contributes to the improved well-being of the owners and is of particular benefit to people who live alone. 

A GROUP QUALITY POLICY

Our quality policy is the commitment of the Group executive committee to mobilize each employee to strengthen the quality culture in our daily activities. It applies to all sites, subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers. 

The strategy aims to control our activities, comply with current regulations and improve our performance:

• by working on the Right First Time approach (each person must ensure that his/her activity is carried out correctly the first time);
• by encouraging continuous improvement and innovative thinking;
• by putting quality at the heart of competitiveness.

OUR KEY OBJECTIVES

Do it right first time to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. Maintain a customer technical complaint ratio of less than five per million units marketed.

GOVERNANCE

An organization dedicated to quality

In order to ensure proper application of best practices at various stages of the product life cycle, we have deployed a dedicated Group-wide organization that covers the topics of quality control and quality assurance. This organization, comprising more than 100 employees and spread out over various Group sites, implements the Group’s quality policy based on three areas of focus: product control, pharmaceutical compliance and sustainable economic output. The goal is to elevate the quality standards to comply with and anticipate the regulatory requirements that apply to the various research and production sites, as well as the commercial subsidiaries, and to ensure the Group’s sustainability. At the same time, this quality system allows us to efficiently detect, trace and address all quality incidents inherent in the pharmaceutical business.

Regulatory monitoring

We have had an efficient regulatory monitoring system in place for several years, enabling us to stay abreast of regulatory developments applicable to all of our ranges. This monitoring system is carried out through inter-professional organizations:

• at a national level with, for example, the Syndicat de l’industrie du médicament vétérinaire (SIMV) in France, the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) in the United Kingdom and the Bundesverband für Tiergesundheit e.V. (BfT) in Germany, etc.;
• regionally with, for example, AnimalhealthEurope, or AHI (Animal Health Institute) in the United States;
• at the global level with HealthforAnimals (Global animal medicines association).

ACTION PLANS

In compliance with the regulations of each country, we meet the highest quality-safety-effectiveness standards applicable. These standards involve every stage in the product life cycle, meaning before they are marketed and after they are placed on the market.
 
Through our quality policy, we are committed to maintaining a high level of product and service quality with a right first time approach, enabling us to reduce waste and damage throughout the manufacturing process until placement on the market. Right first time is deployed throughout the organization and is measured at the end customer.

In 2023, we remained below five complaints per million units marketed, despite the inclusion of new, recently launched products that, in generating a significant number of questions, still require special support for customers.

OUR RESULTS

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Ratio of technical complaints per million units marketed	4.0	4.6	4.6

OUR KEY OBJECTIVES

Limit the number of product non-compliances on the market (regulation, labeling, promotion). Maintain batch recalls at less than 1 per 1,000 batches marketed.

GOVERNANCE

In addition to the inspections regularly carried out by the regulatory authorities, our Production and Quality Control teams present at each of our industrial sites carry out a set of checks throughout the production chain. These checks are necessary before and after marketing of the products.

PRE-MARKETING CONTROLS

Pre-development and development phase

We implement Good laboratory practices (GLP) relating in particular to data traceability, then select CROs (Contract research organizations) working in accordance with these GLPs.

> 100% of products subject to pharmaceutical registration are subject to verification for Animal/Human/Environmental safety, quality, stability and efficacy.

Purchasing and subcontracting

Our teams systematically qualify the materials purchased from suppliers (active ingredients, excipients, packaging) in terms of quality and reliability. When possible, they identify several sources to limit the risk of disruptions and prioritize purchases from leaders in pharmaceutical equipment. Finally, we use outsourcing from subcontractors specialized by pharmaceutical form.

> 100% of active ingredient suppliers are qualified and analyzed during certification.

Production phase

During the production phase, we implement current Good manufacturing practices (cGMP) that are applied through the certification of all of our manufacturing sites. Actions are also implemented at the production tool level in order to ensure end-of-production-line product quality that is in compliance from the start, thus limiting scrap or damage of materials or finished products.

> 100% of products, whether subject to pharmaceutical registration or not, undergo component and raw material control at every manufacturing stage  > 100% of Virbac industrial sites are certified. > 100% of employees are trained in manufacturing processes.

Distribution phase

For the transporting of medicines, we apply Good distribution practices (GDPs), such as compliance with the cold chain, when required by the nature of the products. Regarding the organization of transportation in accordance with regulations governing the shipping of high-risk products, safety data sheets for raw materials and finished products are made available to staff and carriers. Hazardous products are transported in packaging that meets current standards.

Packaging and Promotion

The development or selection of specific packaging is determined on the basis of a product safety assessment. We strive to develop diagrams and pictograms and appropriate communication media for an optimal understanding of information that is fundamental to consumer health and safety. For all promotional communications, Virbac complies with the scientific and technical claims demonstrated during the development stage of the product. Finally, any product claim is scientifically demonstrated and made available to regulatory agencies in compliance with the requirements defined by national or supranational veterinary pharmaceutical agencies.

> 100% of products, whether subject to pharmaceutical registration or not, and nutritional products that do not require pharmaceutical registration are subject to advisory and support measures for the product users.

POST-MARKETING CONTROLS

Pharmacovigilance

In accordance with regulatory requirements, we monitor the future of pharmaceutical and nutritional products that we market in terms of safety and efficacy. This is thanks to a dedicated organization comprising a person qualified in pharmacovigilance (veterinarian) and a qualified interim person, who compile all the cases, analyze them, and decide whether or not these adverse effects are attributable to the use of the medicine or food in question, and officially report these cases to the supervisory authorities when appropriate. Taking into account the pharmacovigilance outcomes allows Virbac to improve knowledge of its products (for example: the addition of precautions for use), thus making their use safer.

> 100% of products, whether subject to pharmaceutical registration or not, and nutritional products that do not require pharmaceutical registration are subject to monitoring using the pharmacovigilance and nutrivigilance mechanism.

Ongoing research on stability

To ensure the efficacy over time of its pharmaceutical products that require registration, Virbac carries out ongoing research on their stability.

> 100% of products requiring pharmaceutical registration are subject to ongoing stability studies.

Key actions related to our quality strategy

The Quality benchmark was designed on a collaborative basis that integrates standards for all production and research sites, in all departments and toward all subsidiaries, while taking into account the regulations and the diversity of products and formulations. The Virbac quality system (VQS) was then expanded to integrate the Group’s organizations, processes, tools and Group quality standards (core model).

We have more precisely identified and updated the skills required, acquired and to be developed, so as to provide suitable training plans designed to enhance team skills and embrace a pharmaceutical culture. Finally, we have deployed a multidisciplinary team (research and development, production and quality assurance), aligned to deliver products on time and with the expected level of quality to satisfy our customers’ expectations.

> The Group Quality benchmark was built and shared with 100% of the R&D centers and production sites.

OUR RESULTS

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Rate of batch recalls per 1,000 batches marketed	0.48‰	0.42‰	0.27‰
Rate of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes for 1,000 batches marketed	0.67‰	1.00‰	0.74‰
Rate of labeling non-conformities  per 1,000 product references	0.78‰	1.01‰	0.37‰
Rate of promotional non-conformities per 1,000 product references	0.00‰	0.00‰	0.11‰

Overall, more precise development and better control of production processes have improved the quality of distributed products. No cases of non-compliance with voluntary codes and regulations posed any danger to the health of animals. No packaging non-compliance has had any consequences on the distribution of the products.