Novartis affirms commitment to sustain efforts toward final elimination of leprosy in partnership with World Health Organization
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Novartis affirms commitment to sustain efforts toward final elimination of
leprosy in partnership with World Health Organization
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· Novartis signs Memorandum of Understanding with the World Health
Organization (WHO) to renew leprosy drug donation
· Five-year commitment includes treatments worth an estimated USD
26 million and up to USD 2.5 million to support the WHO in handling donation and
logistics
· Novartis continues commitment to support access to medicines in
developing countries and contribute to achieving the UN Millennium Development
Goals
Basel, October 12, 2010 - At a ceremony at the WHO's headquarters in Geneva,
Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis, and Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the
WHO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue their collaboration
toward a world free of leprosy.
Under the terms of the MoU, Novartis continues to provide free multidrug therapy
(MDT) medicines to all countries worldwide. The donation to the WHO, valued at
about USD 26 million, will treat an estimated 1.1 million leprosy patients over
the next five years, through 2015. In addition, Novartis will provide up to USD
2.5 million over the same period to cover costs incurred by the WHO for handling
the donation and logistics.
"Over the past 10 years, we have worked with the WHO to provide free treatment
to leprosy patients globally. We have made tremendous progress, but the battle
has not yet been completely won," said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. "We are
committed to ensuring that patients receive the medications they need and we
intend to contribute to this program until the final elimination of this
debilitating disease."
Novartis and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development (NFSD) have a
long-term commitment to leprosy treatment and control. Since 2000, Novartis has
donated more than 45 million MDT blister packs, the treatment recommended by the
WHO, helping to cure approximately 5 million leprosy patients worldwide. The
Novartis Foundation, active in the fight against leprosy for more than 25 years,
has been instrumental in supporting the leprosy drug donation, contributing to
reducing the stigma attached to the disease and helping patients reintegrate
into society.
"The collaboration between Novartis and the WHO has been highly productive in
eliminating leprosy as a public health problem. A key feature of this success
has been the deep commitment of both parties," said Dr Margaret Chan at the
signing ceremony.
Since 1985, more than 14 million people have been cured of leprosy thanks to
MDT, shrinking the worldwide prevalence by approximately 95%. In 2009, less than
250 000 new cases were reported, from more than 140 countries worldwide. Despite
these successes, leprosy control remains at a critical juncture and knowledge of
the disease is becoming less common. Moving forward, early detection and
continued availability of free treatment are essential.
The development of MDT changed the face of leprosy dramatically. MDT consists of
three drugs (rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone), two of which (rifampicin and
clofazimine) were developed in the research laboratories of Novartis in the
1980s. Multidrug therapy has made it possible to cure patients, interrupt the
transmission of leprosy and prevent disabilities. Even patients with the
severest form of the disease show visible clinical improvement within weeks of
starting treatment.
The new MoU (effective from January 2011 through to December 2015) follows two
MoUs signed in 2000 and 2005 for the free provision of MDT drugs for patients
globally.
About the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development
The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development plans and supports projects
designed to strengthen and secure essential healthcare provision for the poor in
developing countries. Through its events and publications, it seeks to promote
dialogue on development policy between public and private-sector institutions.
By means of scientific analyses, it helps to define the nature and limits of
corporate social responsibility, particularly for pharmaceutical companies. For
further information, please visitwww.novartisfoundation.org.
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains certain forward-looking statements that can be
identified by terminology such as "commitment," "will," "committed," "intend,"
or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions potential future
deliveries of leprosy MDT drugs. You should not place undue reliance on these
statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the
Company regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Novartis will deliver
any particular amounts of MDT in the future. In particular, management's
expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory
actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected manufacturing
difficulties; competition in general; government, industry, and general public
pricing and other political pressures; the impact that the foregoing factors
could have on the values attributed to the Novartis Group's assets and
liabilities as recorded in the Group's consolidated balance sheet; and other
risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with
the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or
uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated,
believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing the information in these
materials as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of
patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a
diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-
saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and
consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in
these areas. In 2009, the Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of
USD 44.3 billion, while approximately USD 7.5 billion was invested in R&D
activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis
Group companies employ approximately 102,000 full-time-equivalent associates and
operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information,
please visithttp://www.novartis.com.
# # #
Novartis Media Relations
Central media line : +41 61 324 2200
Eric Althoff Sabina Matter
Novartis Global Media Relations Novartis Foundation for Sustainable
+41 61 324 7999 (direct) Development (NFSD)
+41 79 593 4202 (mobile) +41 61 697 7117 (direct)
eric.althoff(at)novartis.com +41 79 833 9886 (mobile)
sabina.matter(at)novartis.com
e-mail: media.relations(at)novartis.com
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Datum: 12.10.2010 - 07:16 Uhr
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