December

Novartis and Astex Therapeutics form alliance focused on novel cell cycle anti-cancer drugs.

Interim data from the landmark IRIS trial shows that more than 90% of patients with a form of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who were taking Gleevec/Glivec were alive after 4-1/2 years of treatment.

Gleevec/Glivec is submitted in the US and EU for approval as a treatment for adult patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

November

Exjade, a breakthrough once-daily oral iron chelator, receives first approval worldwide in the US for the treatment of chronic iron overload due to blood transfusions in adults and children age two and older.

Novartis announces the successful divestment of its Nutrition & Santé unit.

October

Xolair gains EU approval as novel therapy for severe allergic asthma, becoming the first monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of asthma in Europe.

September

Novartis makes offer to independent directors to buy remaining stake in Chiron, reaching a unanimous agreement with the company’s Board of Directors in October. US regulatory approval is granted in December. The acquisition is planned to be completed in the first half of 2006.

Novartis and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. create major alliance focused on the discovery of innovative therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), which have the potential to treat human disease in a fundamentally new way through the silencing of disease-causing genes.

July

Novartis submits Femara for US and EU regulatory approval as an adjuvant treatment for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, with US approval granted in December.

Novartis announces plans to acquire North American OTC brand portfolio from Bristol-Myers Squibb.

June

Diovan receives EU approval for the treatment of patients with heart failure, becoming the only agent of its kind indicated to treat both heart attack survivors and patients with heart failure.

FTY720, a novel once-daily oral medication for treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), shows promising phase II results.

May

Novartis licenses rights from Anadys Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize ANA975 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

April

Aclasta gains first regulatory approval with the receipt of marketing authorization for the treatment of Paget’s disease of the bone in all 25 European member states as well as Norway and Iceland.

February

Novartis announces plans to acquire Hexal AG and Eon Labs, creating the world leader in generics, with the Hexal transaction completed in June and Eon Labs in July.

Novartis is the first European company to receive the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award in recognition of the company’s worldwide corporate citizenship activities that benefit millions of patients in need every year.

January

Novartis provides over USD 2 million in immediate emergency aid for victims of Southeast Asian tsunami disaster. Support includes direct financial assistance to relief organizations and donation of essential medicines, including key malaria treatments and antibiotic drugs.

December

The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development celebrates its 25th anniversary with a symposium on the right to health.

Enablex, a novel treatment for overactive bladder, is approved in the US, while exclusive marketing rights for this medicine, which is known as Emselex in Europe, are sold to Bayer for the German market.

November

Sandoz is named as a Division, joining Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health, as of January 1, 2005.

October

Emselex gains EU approval for the treatment of overactive bladder in all 25 EU member states as well as Norway and Iceland.

The Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announce a joint project to decipher the genetic causes of type 2 diabetes and make their findings freely available to scientists worldwide on the Web.

September

Femara gains approval in Switzerland as the only post-tamoxifen treatment for early breast cancer, marking the first approval by health authorities for this breast cancer therapy in the extended adjuvant setting. Approvals are also gained in the United Kingdom and the US.

August

Zelnorm receives US approval for the additional indication of chronic constipation, becoming the first prescription therapy for this disorder.

July

The Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease opens in Singapore with particular focus on biomedical research for dengue fever and drugresistant tuberculosis.

Novartis submits Xolair for EU approval for the treatment of allergic asthma.

Novartis submits Focalin XR extended release capsules for US approval for the treatment of children and adults with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

June

Novartis announces plans to acquire two generics companies: the Danish company Durasacan A/S from AstraZeneca plc and Sabex Holdings Ltd of Canada.

May

Visudyne, the leading treatment for certain forms of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), is launched in Japan.

April

Sandostatin LAR receives Japanese approval for treating acromegaly and symptoms of gastrointestinal hormone secreting tumors.

Novartis submits an EU application for the use of zoledronic acid in Paget’s disease, marking the first filing for its use in metabolic bone disease. A US submission for this indication is made in September.

February

Novartis Medical Nutrition completes the acquisition of the global adult nutrition business of Mead Johnson from Bristol-Myers Squibb, which was announced in December 2003.

myfortic completes European Union Mutual Recognition Procedure and receives approval for prevention of organ rejection after kidney transplantation. US approval is granted in March.

January

A new CHF 3 billion share repurchase program is announced to start following completion of a program initiated in 2002. Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) approved the program in February 2004.

19 December

Novartis makes drug donation to the Global TB Drug Facility: Half a million of the world's poorest turberculosis patient to benefit from free life-saving drugs.

16 December

Acquisition of worldwide adult medical nutrition business of Mead Johnson & Company, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

27 November

New corporate guidelines on human rights.

10 November

Landmark Diovan (valsartan) mega-trial proves life-saving benefits for heart attack suffers.

10 November

New partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture to develp a pediatric formulation of Coartem.

9 October

Interim results from first study to explore post-tamoxifen use of Femara in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer: Compelling disease-free survival results.

23 June

FDA approves Xolair, biotechnology breakthrough for asthma

13 June

FDA approves Stalevo for treatment of Parkinson's disease

12 June

EMEA updates Zometa label to include longer-term efficacy data on prevention of bone complications in advanced cancers

20 May

Novartis unites its generics businesses under one single global brand: Sandoz

26 March

Novartis set for strategic expansion into antiviral medicines through acquisition of 51% of Idenix, a Cambridge MA-based biotech company

18 March

Novartis acquires Enablex a new incontinence treatment for a rapidly expanding population of patients, from Pfizer

3 January

Glivec approved in European Union for first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

21 December

Glivec gains FDA approval for first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

21 November

Novartis successfully completes its friendly public offer for the Slovenian generic company Lek.

8 October

Novartis signs an agreement to sell its Food & Beverage business to Associated British Foods plc (ABF).

14 August

FDA approves use of Diovan in Heart Failure for patients intolerant to ACE inhibitors.

24 July

FDA approves Zelnorm/Zelmac for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

23 May

Novartis unveils its Campus project: the St. Johann site in Basel is to be completely redeveloped, under the direction of the architect Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani.

6 May

Novartis reorganizes its global research network by creating the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), headquartered in a new research center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mark Fishman is appointed Head of Research.

18 April

Novartis establishes an external Ethics Committee to evaluate research projects involving human stem cells.

12 March

Novartis is awarded the Prix Galien in France for the second year in succession - this time for Glivec.

23 February

FDA grants clearance for the use of Zometa in a second indication - the treatment of bone metastases.

15 February

Novartis and expo.02 -the Swiss national exhibition-present the Biopolis project.

4 February

Novartis announces that its Consumer Health Sector intends to divest the Health & Functional Food business.

13 December

FDA approves Elidel cream for the treatment of eczema and Trileptal for use as monotherapy in children with epilepsy.

8 November

Glivec receives approval for the European market.

2 November

Novartis announces that the structure of the Board of Directors is to be modernized, with the establishment of a Corporate Governance Committee.

September

FDA grants clearance for the use of Foradil in the treatment of asthma.

23 August

FDA grants clearance for the use of Visudyne in the treatment of eye conditions causing loss of vision.

21 August

FDA grants clearance for the use of Zometa in the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy.

23 May

Novartis makes the antimalarial drug Coartem available to the WHO at cost price.

May

Visudyne is awarded the Prix Galien for therapeutic innovation in France, Belgium and Portugal.

May

FDA grants clearance for Gleevec (Glivec).

23 April

In order to acquire the rights to pitavastatin, a cholesterol-lowering compound in development, Novartis takes over the Paris-based company Hazal Finance.

2 April

Novartis Generics acquires generics manufacturer Lagap Pharmaceuticals from the company's South African owner, Adcock Ingram.

Early April

Starlix receives approval for the European market

27 February

The Novartis Respiratory Research Centre - the largest of its kind in the world - is opened in Horsham (UK).

4 December

Novartis Generics announces it is to acquire BASF Pharma's European generics business.

13 November

Novartis Seeds is merged with AstraZeneca's ' agribusiness operations to form Syngenta, the first global group focusing exclusively on agribusiness.

November

Novartis acquires exclusive marketing rights for Estradot from Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Miami, Florida.

31 August

Novartis Pharma AG acquires the products Famvir and Vectavir/Denavir from SmithKline Beecham.

10 July

The Pharma Sector is reorganized, with the establishment of three Business Units: Primary Care, Specialties (Oncology, Transplantation, Ophthalmics) and Mature Products.

11 May

Novartis shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American Depositary Shares (ADSs).

21 April 1999

Alex Krauer resigns as Chairman of the Board of Directors and is appointed an Honorary Chairman. Daniel Vasella becomes Chairman, while retaining his position as CEO.

8 April 1998

The Novartis Research Foundation announces the setting-up of the Novartis Institute for Functional Genomics.

13 May 1997

Novartis announces it is to acquire the crop protection business of Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.

20 December 1996

Swiss Novartis companies are entered in the Commercial Register.

17 December 1996

The US Federal Trade Commission approves the merger.

24 June 1996

The shareholders of Ciba approve the merger.

17 June 1996

The European Union approves the merger.

23 April 1996

The shareholders of Sandoz approve the merger.