Corporate Citizenship

Novartis: Making a difference in the lives of Filipinos

As a caring and curing healthcare company, Novartis takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously.

“Novartis is more than just a pharmaceutical company. We are committed to help promote progress in the Philippines through our key advocacies: improving access to health care and fostering research & development in the country,” said Mr. Thomas Weigold, Country President & Managing Director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

Providing Filipino patients with access to effective medicines

To date, the Novartis Malaria Initiative has provided at no profit over 172,260 treatments of its highly effective malaria drug artemether/lumefantrine to Filipino patients. artemether/lumefantrine is a state-of-the-art artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) for malaria. It is well tolerated and highly effective, providing cure rates of over 95% even in areas of multidrug resistance. It is a breakthrough in the treatment of multi-drug resistant malaria and the first ACT added to the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines list.

Malaria is a highly preventable and treatable disease yet, according to the WHO, nearly one million people die from malaria each year, mostly children. It remains a major public health concern in the Philippines, where Department of Health (DOH) data show that the mosquito-borne disease is prevalent in 58 of the country’s 80 provinces, mostly in the poorest municipalities.

Since its inception in 2003, the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP), which has now been broadened to the Novartis Oncology Access (NOA) Program, has helped provide the breakthrough treatment imatinib to over 2,000 socially disadvantaged Filipino cancer patients. From 2006 to 2010 alone, benefits provided by the NOA Program to Filipino patients are valued at over Php3B. 

The DOH-Valsartan Access Program, a groundbreaking partnership between the Department of Health and Novartis Philippines, provides low-income Filipino patients with access to an effective blood-pressure lowering medicine (Valsartan). It marks the first time a pharmaceutical company has embarked on a strategic partnership with the DOH in promoting access to essential medicines.

Under the program, Novartis Philippines supplies the DOH with its anti-hypertension medicine Valsartan at a specially discounted price. This second-brand valsartan, called DOH-Valsartan, is available exclusively in government hospitals.

The DOH-Valsartan Access Program specifically benefits low-income Filipino patients who represent more than 80% of the country’s population. By providing patients with access to a high-quality yet affordable blood pressure-lowering medicine, the program promotes treatment compliance thereby preventing hypertension-related complications and mortality.

Novartis will continue implementing long-term and meaningful access initiatives through its diversified portfolio that includes Sandoz, a global leader in generics. Through its broad range of high-quality, affordable generic medicines, Sandoz provides patients with direct cost savings, contributes to the stability of healthcare systems worldwide, and frees up resources for the development of new and innovative medicines.

Enhancing country’s R&D capabilities

Novartis has been working with the government to develop local scientists and help the country become a research and development hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

Novartis has an ongoing partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in holding Local BioCamps, which are annual biotechnology workshops for young, promising Filipino scientists and researchers. At the end of each Local BioCamp, two outstanding Filipino students are selected to represent the country in the prestigious International BioCamp. Selection is based on academic excellence and professional focus. Novartis shoulders all travel and accommodation expenses of the selected students. This year’s Local BioCamp will be held on July 2012 at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

BioCamp is a pioneering biotechnology seminar for entrepreneurial, postgraduate students in the natural sciences who are interested in pursuing a career in biotechnology. BioCamp participants get an insider's perspective of the challenges and opportunities in biotechnology today through workshops conducted by biotech leaders from around the world. Workshops are designed to give participants the tools they need to start a biotech company.

International BioCamps have been held in Singapore (2006), Japan (2007), Hong Kong (2008), US (2009), and Switzerland (2010, 2011). This year, the International BioCamp will be held from August 27 to 29 2012 at the Novartis International Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

The Philippines is part of the Novartis International Clinical Research Organization, which conducts clinical trials for new medicines. In 2009, Novartis allocated to the Philippines 16 clinical trial projects involving over 40 sites with a target number of 1700 enrolled patients. By helping the Philippines become an R&D hub, Novartis hopes to enhance the quality of science and technology in the country and improve Filipino patients’ access to innovative medicines.

Novartis through the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) is collaborating with the DOST in information exchange and knowledge transfer among foreign and local scientists in the area of tropical diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis and malaria. On September 2009, the NITD and Novartis Philippines in collaboration with the DOH, DOST and infectious disease organizations successfully held the 1st International Dengue Symposium in Manila.

International recognition

Because of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, Novartis has received numerous awards from some of the world’s most respected institutions.

In 2012, Novartis was among the top three pharmaceutical companies on Fortune's list of the “World's Most Admired Companies” for the eigth consecutive year.

Every year, respected industry publication MedAdNews ranks “The Most Admired Pharmaceutical Company” based on subscriber polls. In its 2011 subscriber survey, readers chose Novartis as No. 1.

 

Novartis supports generics usage

Another area in which Novartis promotes patient access to affordable medicines is Generics. Novartis is the only major pharmaceutical company that has achieved leadership position in both patented drugs and generics. Sandoz, the generic division of Novartis, offers a broad portfolio of medicines no longer protected by patents. Novartis provides Filipino patients with high-quality and affordable medicines.