• The index highlights Novartis’ leadership in research and development and access governance, with Novartis ranking first in these subthemes.
• Novartis’ malaria access plans, widespread product registration in LMICs and inclusive business model to improve access to products in multiple countries have all been highlighted as best practices across the industry.
• Novartis moves up three places to secure first place in the 2024 Access to Medicines Index

Basel, November 19, 2024 – Novartis ranked first in the 2024 Access to Medicine Index (ATMI) report released today, highlighting the company’s leadership in improving access to medicines worldwide.

The Index, published every two years, is an independent report that evaluates 20 of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to improve access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for 81 diseases in 113 countries. low and middle income (LMIC). ).

The report specifically highlights Novartis’ portfolio and pipeline, a leader in non-communicable diseases and high-burden priority diseases such as malaria, Chagas disease and dengue, and its strategies to generalized access for candidates at an advanced stage. Half of the best practices highlighted in the report refer to Novartis.

Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said: “Our first place in the 2024 Medicines Access Index reflects our fundamental commitment to ensuring that breakthrough medicines reach the people who need them, regardless of where they are needed. live. Throughout our company’s history, we have maintained access to medicine as a priority and have continued to find ways to integrate it deeply into the early stages of our R&D pipeline. As a physician scientist who began his career in public health, I have seen first-hand the difference that companies like ours can make in providing treatments to patients. patients. We have more to do as an industry to close the access gap, but today’s recognition is made possible by our more than 70,000 associates and partners who are committed to reinventing medicine so that we can improve and extend the lives of patients around the world.

In 2023, Novartis medicines reached 284 million patients worldwide and 33.2 million patients through its access initiatives. The report highlights how Novartis’ access initiatives help the company achieve this goal, including:

• Comprehensive drug access strategies integrated into overall company strategy, with access plans in place for 100% of priority late-stage pipeline candidates
• Wide registration of innovative products in LMICs and leveraging an inclusive business model to improve access to its products in several low-income and least developed countries.
• Best practices for malaria access plans, including a novel ganaplacid/lumefantrine-SDF combination in adults and children with malaria, currently in Phase III trials in partnership with Medicine for Malaria Venture (MMV)
• In collaboration with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Novartis has progressed the Phase II clinical trial of an oral drug for visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia.

Lutz Hegemann, President of Global Health at Novartis, said: “Ensuring broad and inclusive access to medical innovation is essential to maximizing our positive impact as a sustainable company. While this index is a testament to the progress we have made, there is more to be done, and we remain committed to working with our partners to ensure that every innovation we discover is accessible to everyone who has it. need.

About the Medicines Access Index
The ATMI is a biannual index published by the Access to Medicine Foundation (ATMF) and measures the performance of the 20 largest research-based pharmaceutical companies aimed at improving access to medicines and healthcare in low- and low-income countries. intermediate. In addition to ATMI, Novartis participates in other environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings that inform investor decision-making, including CDP, Sustainalytics, ISS ESG and MSCI.

The Access to Medicine Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 2003 that seeks to transform the health ecosystem by motivating and mobilizing businesses to expand access to their essential health products in high-income countries low or intermediate. The Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization, funded by the British and Dutch governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Wellcome Trust, AXA Investment Managers and Stewart Investors. The Foundation is a registered charity in the Netherlands (ANBI status).

Disclaimer
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About Novartis
Novartis is an innovative pharmaceutical company. Every day, we work to reinvent medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and society are empowered in the face of serious illnesses. Our medicines are used by more than 250 million people worldwide.

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