Novartis Pharmaceuticals

The Novartis Pharmaceuticals Division is a world leader in the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of prescription medicine. Our goal is to provide a broad portfolio of innovative, effective and safe products and services to patients through healthcare professionals around the world.

In 2006, the Pharmaceutical's business posted sales of USD 22.6 billion. Our current product portfolio includes more than 40 key marketed products, many of which are leaders in their respective therapeutic areas. The Development portfolio involves over 130 projects - including potential new products as well as potential new indications or formulations for existing products - in various stages of clinical development. 

The Pharmaceutical Division consists of the following therapeutic areas:

 

General Medicines:

• Cardiovascular & Metabolism: Novartis is a world leader in offering products to treat cardiovascular disease, particularly high blood pressure (hypertension), elevated cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), chest pain (angina pectoris) and heart failure. Our broad portfolio of cardiovascular and metabolic agents offers some of the best tools available today to treat and protect patients along critical points of the cardiovascular continuum – from novel treatments for type 2 diabetes and medicines to manage hypertension and high cholesterol, to life-saving therapies following heart attack and for patients suffering from heart failure.
  Our pipeline includes compounds with the potential to change the way cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are treated, in particular the oral DPP-4 inhibitor LAF237 (vildagliptin) for type 2 diabetes and the oral renin inhibitor SPP100 (aliskiren) for hypertension.

• Neuroscience: Novartis has been a leader in neuroscience for more than 50 years, having pioneered early breakthrough treatments for disorders that include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, depression, migraine and schizophrenia. Among our leading products are the anti-epileptic Trileptal, which has been approved in more than 70 countries and used to treat over one million people suffering from epilepsy, and Exelon, which is used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Novartis continues to be active in developing new compounds and is committed to addressing unmet medical needs, as well as supporting patients and their families affected by these disorders. Ongoing research to extend the current product portfolio in Neuroscience includes projects in psychiatric diseases, neurological disorders and chronic pain.

• Respiratory & Dermatology: Novartis offers a series of leading medicines for important respiratory and dermatological conditions Elidel is the first and only non-steroid cream for eczema, an inflamed skin condition that affects about 10% of children in the US, while Lamisil is the most frequently prescribed treatment worldwide for fungal nail infection. The long-acting bronchodilator Foradil for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

• ABGHI (Arthritis, bone, gastrointestinal, hormone replacement therapies, urinary incontinence): The primary focus of this therapeutic area is a group of treatments for patients with a variety of internal diseases that have significant unmet medical needs, particularly in the areas of gastrointestinal disorders, urinary incontinence, arthritis, osteoporosis and the treatment of pain. We have entered the gastrointestinal market with the launch of Zelnorm/Zelmac for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition where the bowel (large intestine) does not function properly. More than 40 million Americans are estimated to suffer from IBS with constipation, and Zelnorm/Zelmac is the first and only medication approved to treat this condition. Zelnorm/Zelmac is also approved for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in the US and several other countries. We intend to further strengthen our GI franchise with development efforts for Zelnorm/Zelmac in other indications. Another important area of focus are bone disorders like osteoporosis, a progressive disease that causes bones to become thin and porous, increasing the risk for fractures. The most advanced compound in development for bone disorders is Aclasta, which was submitted in the US for Paget’s disease in 2004 and is in development for osteoporosis.

• Infectious diseases: An emerging area of therapeutic focus is infectious diseases, particularly products used to treat viral infections by inhibiting their replication. Our portfolio consists of three main areas: anti-virals, anti-bacterials and tropical medicine. We market Famvir for herpes and Coartem/Riamet for malaria. Ongoing research and development efforts are focused on new specific anti-virals against Hepatitis B and C, as well as on novel antibiotics for respiratory tract infections. We established Infectious Diseases as a separate franchise following our May 2003 purchase of a majority of the outstanding capital stock of Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As a result of that transaction, we obtained certain rights to market Idenix products, as well as options to license additional Idenix compounds in the future.

 

Specialty Medicines:

• Oncology & Hematology: Oncology & Hematology, through Novartis Oncology, provides a range of innovative therapies and practical solutions for cancer patients. We market products for the treatment of a number of different cancers and for cancer complications, including advanced malignancies involving bone. Research and development in this disease area is aimed at the discovery and development of innovative approaches to the treatment of cancer. Novartis ranks as one of the largest and fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies in this business segment. Key products include Gleevec/Glivec to treat certain forms of lifethreatening gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), while Femara is a leading treatment in certain types of breast cancer and Zometa is a novel treatment for certain cancers that have spread to the bones. Important compounds in development include PTK787, an angiogenesis inhibitor initially being studied for the treatment of colorectal cancer, and the iron chelator ICL670 for use in patients suffering from chronic iron overload.
  
  Visit the Novartis Oncology Website:
  for US residents
  for non-US residents

• Transplantation & Immunology: Novartis is a world leader in transplantation and immunology, pioneering and revolutionizing the field of transplantation with the discovery and introduction of cyclosporine more than 20 years ago. We have one of the broadest portfolios of immunosuppressants due to our continued research and strong commitment to provide solutions to unmet medical needs for the transplant recipient. Neoral and Simulect are established products used to protect transplanted organs from rejection. Our new products Certican and myfortic, which has now been approved in more than 40 countries, are providing more choices to transplant physicians. A novel immunomodulating agent, FTY720, is currently in Phase III for use in transplantation, and patient enrollment was completed in September 2004. With a worldwide research program, Transplantation & Immunology is committed to developing a new and innovative range of therapeutic products for the prophylaxis of organ rejection and to maintain our role as global leader in this field.
  
  Visit the Novartis Transplantation Website:
  for US residents
  for non-US residents

• Ophthalmics: We develop and market products for the treatment of a number of different ophthalmic diseases. Our research and development in this disease area is aimed at the discovery and development of innovative treatments for “Back of the Eye” diseases as well as on “Dry Eye” Conditions. Both of these areas are characterized by high growth and significant unmet medical needs. The “Back of the Eye” area encompasses several disease areas, such as wet and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema and retinitis pigmentosa. The key area of focus within “Back of the Eye” is “wet” AMD, a condition when leaky blood vessels grow across the central portion of the retina, or macula for unknown reasons and cause bleeding, scar formation and permanent damage, leading to vision loss. Our Ophthalmics business has built a leadership position with its flagship product Visudyne. In cooperation with collaborator Genentech, we are also developing Lucentis, a VEGF inhibitor that is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of “wet” AMD and will be marketed by Novartis outside of North America.
  
  Visit the Novartis Ophthalmics Website:
  for US residents
  for non-US residents