Patients
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation puts patients first. We have a long history of helping patients in need, launching our first Patient Assistance Program in 1997. Last year, the Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation (PAF) and Institutional PAP (which serves state programs and free clinics) provided free product valued at $169 million dollars to 109,000 patients in need.
The Novartis PAF provides assistance to patients experiencing financial hardship who have no third party insurance coverage for their medications and includes many of Novartis' life sustaining/single sourced medications.
Novartis is also committed to assisting patients from around the world. In 2007 our global access-to-medicines programs, valued at USD 937 million, reached 66 million patients. In the developing world, we extend free leprosy and tuberculosis treatment and offer our antimalarial drug Coartem without profit through multilateral institutions and public-private partnerships. Find out more about our global efforts by visiting our global Social Responsibility (Corporate Citizenship) website.
In the developed world we also provide discounts and assistance programs to patients who need support. We designed one of the most far-reaching patient-assistance programs ever implemented on a global scale for our cancer therapy Gleevec/Glivec.
To improve patient health and well-being, Novartis medicines must have the complete confidence of those who prescribe and use them. As a corporate citizen, we are committed to this goal.
Patients and healthcare-providers know that, beyond meeting regulatory requirements for product safety and efficacy, Novartis does everything possible to communicate concerns based on clinical trials and other research. Labels and package inserts often describe possible side effects and other risks, and provide directions for avoiding potential problems.
Novartis discloses data from our clinical trials no matter what the outcome. We assess safety concerns throughout the development of our products.
Ensuring patient safety does not end at product approval. We continue to assess risks or safety signals that emerge when a product is on the market. We work to find new and better ways to identify problems and communicate them as clearly as possible.
Our pharmacovigilance programs quickly identify, address and communicate new adverse events to regulatory agencies, including theUS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and healthcare professionals and patients. We also work to protect patients from counterfeit products, which have created a growing concern around the world.
Responsible social responsibility (corporate citizenship) is about open communication, going beyond the letter of the law and placing patients front and center in all our efforts. There is nothing more important than the safety of our products and those who use them.
If a patient has concerns or questions about a medication, they can contact us by email or by calling 1-888-NOW-NOVA.