Basel, February 28, 2005 - Novartis was honored today with the 2005 Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award from the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) - a distinguished recognition of the company's worldwide corporate citizenship activities that benefit millions of patients in need every year.
Novartis is the first European company to win the Excellence Award from CECP, which has presented the honors annually since 2000 to companies demonstrating outstanding executive commitment, dedication to measurement and innovation in corporate philanthropy.
Novartis was recognized for its efforts to increase access to medicines for patients who cannot afford treatment. In 2004, over 4.25 million patients around the world benefited from Novartis programs valued at USD 570 million. These initiatives range from drug donation and research programs to combat neglected diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis and malaria in developing nations to patient assistance programs that help cancer patients receive the most innovative and effective treatments available.
"We are committed to applying our core strengths in discovering, developing, producing and distributing high quality medicines to ensure that patients around the world receive the treatments they need," said Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO of Novartis. "This award recognizes the work of Novartis associates around the globe who every day dedicate their work to provide patients with effective medicines and contribute to facilitate access to medicines for patients regardless of their ability to pay."
The Excellence Award was presented to Dr. Klaus Leisinger, president of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, by Pfizer CEO Hank McKinnell at a luncheon ceremony in New York.
"Novartis is a corporate citizen that cares about those who do not have the necessary purchasing power to afford the products it offers in the market place," Dr. Leisinger said. "We made the decision that this is the right thing to do. The fact that our efforts have been recognized with this distinguished award gives all of us a sense of pride and satisfaction."
As part of its worldwide corporate citizenship program, Novartis supports access to medicine programs for uninsured and indigent patients suffering from leprosy, malaria, tuberculosis, chronic myeloid leukemia and other diseases.
Since 2000, Novartis has provided free treatment for all leprosy patients in the world through a public-private partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). As a result, the prevalence of leprosy has been dramatically reduced around the globe. Thanks to comprehensive and effective treatment with donated multi-drug therapy, more than three million leprosy patients have been cured since 2000.
Under a separate five-year agreement with the WHO, Novartis is providing fixed combination tablets to treat 500,000 tuberculosis patients in the world's poorest countries, with a first program being started in Tanzania in 2005.
Novartis also provides Coartem, a novel medicine against malaria, at no profit for public sector use in developing countries where malaria is endemic and the emergence of drug-resistant stains of malaria has rendered existing drugs increasingly ineffective. Since 2002, more than six million treatments have been provided and production capacity will increase exponentially this year in response to changes in malaria treatment policy by more than 20 African nations.
Patient assistance initiatives in more than 70 countries provide the breakthrough cancer therapy Gleevec/Glivec free of charge to more than 10,000 patients who otherwise would not have had access to the drug to treat their life-threatening disease.
And for 25 years, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development has made significant contributions to the health of needy people in the developing world. Since 1986, the Foundation has supported programs to improve access to treatment and dispel the stigma of leprosy and pioneered field-based disability care services for victims of the disease.
About Novartis
Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 2004, the Group's businesses achieved sales of USD 28.2 billion and net income of USD 5.8 billion. The Group invested approximately USD 4.2 billion in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 81,400 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information please consult http://www.novartis.com.
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Nehl Horton
Novartis Global Media Relations
Tel +41 61 324 5749
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Lisa Richert
Novartis Global Media Relations
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or +41 61 324 2200
