Shaping the future of sickle cell disease

Majara, a 32-year-old woman from Greenville, North Carolina, in the US, vividly remembers the times when her sickle cell pain crises gripped her body so badly she couldn’t move. “It felt like a dump truck had actually fallen on my body and was just sitting there… Stabbing. I ached all over. There were times where I just wanted the doctor to take away whatever part of my body was hurting,” Majara recounts.

Majara lives with sickle cell disease –a complex and debilitating, genetic blood disorder that goes beyond sickle-shaped red blood cells. The disease is associated with chronic …

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Novartis announces FDA and EMA filing acceptance of ofatumumab, a novel B-cell therapy for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS)

  • Filings are supported by Phase III ASCLEPIOS I and II studies, where ofatumumab showed highly significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the number of confirmed relapses, evaluated as annualized relapse rate (ARR)1
     
  • Ofatumumab is a novel B-cell therapy that delivers sustained efficacy with a favorable safety profile1
     
  • If approved, ofatumumab has the potential to become a first-choice treatment for a broad RMS population and the first B-cell therapy that can be self-administered at home …
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Collaboration is strengthening care for chronic illness in Ethiopia

For Kassahun, a used clothing merchant in Ethiopia, managing his diabetes is something of an obstacle course. In the rural area where he lives, there are no doctors specialized in treating the disease, which if poorly managed can spark a host of other health problems, including heart disease, vision problems and nerve damage. So Kassahun travels 300 kilometers (approximately 186 miles) by public transportation to the capital Addis Ababa to see a specialist at the Black Lion Hospital, requiring him to spend several nights in a hotel.

“If we had more skilled physicians in the regions, …

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Novartis receives EC Approval for Beovu®, a next-generation anti-VEGF treatment for wet AMD, a leading cause of blindness worldwide

  • Beovu (brolucizumab) is the only anti-VEGF treatment approved in Europe for wet AMD that offers the option to start eligible patients on three-month dosing intervals immediately after the loading phase1
     
  • For the more than 20 million people worldwide who are living with wet AMD, frequent injections are a common reason patients drop off existing treatments2-4
     
  • Approval is based on two head-to-head clinical trials, HAWK and HARRIER, in which Beovu achieved robust vision gains that were …
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Novartis Preferred Firm Program for legal services launched

Novartis is reimagining how it collaborates with law firms and legal services providers alike with the bold ambition to redefine shared value in its collaborations while at the same time driving more diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. “We recognize that corporate legal departments have an incredibly important role to play in ensuring that the legal profession accelerates its efforts to make meaningful progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion,” said Shannon Thyme Klinger, Group General Counsel of Novartis.  “Building on our company’s public pledge to achieve pay …

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Novartis announces MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280), the first potential treatment for METex14 mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer, granted priority FDA review

  • FDA Priority Review for capmatinib based on Phase II data in first-line and previously treated patients with MET exon 14 skipping (METex14) mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)1
     
  • Substantial unmet need exists among patients with METex14 mutated advanced NSCLC as there are no treatment options approved to specifically target this aggressive form of lung cancer
     
  • Capmatinib review expected to be completed within six months

Basel, February 11, 2020 — Novartis announced …

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AVXS-101 Managed Access Program

Statement

Feb 05, 2020

We are aware of the recent Ministry of Health (MoH) announcement, that five EU states (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria and Ireland) have issued a joint statement regarding our Global Managed Access Program (MAP). 
 
In December, we announced a global MAP to make AVXS-101 available to eligible patients in countries where it is not approved by regulatory authorities. We collaborated with an independent bioethics advisory committee, including a range of experts including clinicians, bioethicists, patient …

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World Cancer Day 2020

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death among working-age adults in high-income and middle-income countries.

This World Cancer Day, we’re shining a light on our commitment to our employees impacted by cancer. We are reimagining cancer in the workplace through the global program ‘Ensemble – Caring for colleagues’ with oncology experts and human resources personel, who serve as internal volunteers.

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Reimagining cancer in the workplace

“You have cancer.”

These three words have the power to alter the course of one’s life – whether they’re receiving the news, or divulging the information to a loved one. A cancer diagnosis can be difficult to process, and for many, the diagnosis and corresponding treatment plan will not be the sole consideration.

Cancer affects, and claims the lives of, people at a younger age than any other highly prevalent chronic disease – often while they are in the midst of their careers, supporting their families, raising children, and building toward their dreams and aspirations in life. …

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Sandoz completes acquisition of Aspen’s Japanese operations, strengthening its position in world’s third largest market for generics and off-patent medicines

  • Successful acquisition of Aspen’s Japanese operations and assets reinforces strategic focus on Japan, world’s third largest market for generics and off-patent medicines
  • Acquired portfolio complements existing Sandoz portfolio and consists primarily of off-patent branded medicines with focus on anaesthetics and specialty brands
  • Transaction enables Sandoz to increase portfolio and pipeline offerings in hospital setting, expanding number of patients who can gain access to these important medicines  

Holzkirchen, …

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