Last updated on: May 28, 2024

Annual Report on Forced and Child Labour in Supply Chains

This Report is published pursuant to the Canadian “Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act” and sets out the steps that Medisca Pharmaceutique Inc. (“Medisca”) has taken and is continuing to take to combat forced and child labour in our business and supply chains. The Report covers activities for calendar year 2023 through to May 2024.

Introduction

Medisca is committed to complying with the requirements of the Canada's Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, and to reporting on its efforts to identify and manage potential risks of forced and child labour.  We have a zero tolerance of forced labour and child labour in our business and supply chains and take our responsibility to combat forced and child labour seriously. We are committed to acting ethically, with integrity and being transparent.

Our business and supply chain

Founded in 1989, Medisca is a global leader in personalized medicine and pharmaceutical supply chain solutions, with a vast portfolio of over 2,000 products completed by a library of 10,000+ proprietary and customized medication formulas, expertise and services in pharmaceutical compounding, continuing healthcare education, analytical testing, and more. Providing finely-tuned solutions to diverse wellness sectors across the globe, Medisca is bridging the gaps in healthcare and empowering personalized wellness for all.

Medisca sources its products from a global network of suppliers and manufacturers originating in various countries, including China, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Europe, Australia, and North America. These products are delivered to Medisca’s facilities located in Canada (Montreal, Quebec and Richmond, British Columbia), the U.S. (Plattsburgh, New York and Irving, Texas) as well as Australia (Mascot, New South Wales) via various logistics providers, carriers and shipping companies. All suppliers, manufacturers, logistic providers, carriers and shipping companies are subject to a robust vendor qualification program to verify the quality and integrity of the products. Certain products are also subjected to third party analytical testing laboratories located in Canada, the U.S., and Australia.

Our primary customers are compounding pharmacies, wholesalers and hospitals. All products ordered by customers in Canada are delivered by Medisca. directly from our facilities located in Canada, and on occasion directly from Medisca’s facilities located in the United States. In certain instances, products may be drop-shipped directly from the supplier or manufacturer to the customer. Maintenance services for certain electromechanical products are also available to our customers through service centers located in Canada, the United States and Australia. Sales of our products are performed through various offices of Medisca and remote workers located in Canada, the United States and Australia.

Policies and governance

At Medisca, we pride ourselves in upholding rigorous product quality standards in what we provide to our customers. We adhere to the most stringent global standards and take every effort to deliver precision and value at every level of the supply chain.

Our culture code outlines key policies to guide ethical behaviour in our business. It provides guidelines for the conduct of Medisca employees with other employees, customers and third parties. We have identified areas to update to reinforce our commitment to a zero tolerance of forced and child labour.

Our non-harassment policy aims to create a work environment that is free from any type of harassment, offensive behaviour, discrimination, and workplace violence. All types of harassment are forbidden by this policy. The policy defines harassment and different forms of harassment including psychological harassment, sexual harassment, vexatious behaviour, and violence in the workplace. We will update this policy to include Medisca’s zero tolerance for forced and child labour.

Lastly, our health and safety policy details Medisca’s commitment to maintaining a safe, healthy, and injury-free workplace through training, procedure reviews, regular maintenance, and thorough incident investigations. We are also enhancing this policy to include Medisca’s expectations of employees to raise concerns that may arise related to forced and child labour in Medisca’s operations, and across its supply chain.

Medisca reviews all policies and procedures on a regular basis and will continue to do so to reflect our processes, continuous improvement and compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Due diligence processes

We have robust supplier assessment and due diligence processes and procedures to build on, which are described below, to increase our ability to manage forced and child labour risks with our suppliers. We intend to explore opportunities for this on an ongoing basis.

At Medisca, we have an unwavering commitment to quality, which is reflected in our meticulous sourcing, manufacturer qualification, and comprehensive product testing. To ensure the highest standards, we have established quality agreements with our API and Medical Device manufacturers, as well as with Contract Manufacturers who produce ready bases for our industry. All API and Medical Device Manufacturers are governed by regulatory bodies, against their licensed activities for compliance to good manufacturing practices and related quality standards.

In addition to our quality agreements, additional documentation is requested, as part of the qualification process, such as but not limited to methods, testing protocols, Supplier Assessment Forms, Product Assessment Forms, inspection reports, certificates of GMP compliance, etc.

Our supplier assessment form is a comprehensive assessment that evaluates key aspects of our suppliers' operations. The various forms cover essential information such as site compliance history with regulatory agencies, product specifications and supplier attestation to any changes in their establishment and any change that could reasonably affect the safety, performance or effectiveness of the product(s) purchased by Medisca. This thorough evaluation process helps us ensure that our suppliers meet our high standards for quality and compliance.

Forced and child labour risks

We undertook an independent assessment to better understand the risks of forced and child labour associated with the country of origin of our procured products and the risk profile in terms of forced and child labour for supply chains. We began by analyzing goods where Medisca Pharmaceutique Inc. is the importer of record into Canada and this analysis is based on import data from 2023.

The initial risk assessment indicated a very low proportion of the suppliers analyzed carry risks of forced labour and child labour, based on the information available. Engagement plans are underway to further understand the risks and mitigation strategies in place with these suppliers.

Remediation measures

Medisca acknowledges the importance of vigilance and ongoing monitoring to ensure that forced and child labour risks remain mitigated within our operations and supply chains. To date, we have not identified any incidents of forced labour and child labour in our own operations, nor in our supply chain.  We will regularly review our risk assessments and implement any necessary remediation measures should the need arise.

In the event that any forced labour or child labour is found in our business and supply chains, we will immediately implement the appropriate remediation strategies in compliance with applicable standards.

Training

All new employees to Medisca are required to complete an onboarding training, which covers key components of Medisca’s policy, including the non-harassment policy and health & safety policy described earlier in this statement.

Our People & Culture team is exploring options to roll out an introductory training on understanding the risks of forced and child labour for all employees.

Assessing effectiveness

Medisca has identified certain measures aimed at reducing the risk of forced and child labour in our operations and supply chain - some of which are described above. We intend to assess the effectiveness of preventing and reducing these risks going forward.

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and in particular section 11 thereof, I attest that I have reviewed the information contained in the report for the entity or entities listed above. Based on my knowledge, and having exercised reasonable diligence, I attest that the information in the report is true, accurate and complete in all material respects for the purposes of the Act, for the reporting year listed above.

I have the authority to bind Medisca Pharmaceutique Inc.

Full Name: Tony Dos Santos

Title: President and Founder

Date: 28 May 2024

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