Novartis Oncology is at the forefront of numerous projects throughout many African countries. Our mission at Novartis Oncology is to become the world's premier oncology company by consistently discovering, developing and making broadly available novel therapies that improve and extend the lives of people living with cancer. We have a responsibility to the global oncology community.

Likewise, other groups within Novartis lead initiatives and diverse activities in Africa

A summary of select initiatives can be found below…

Novartis Oncology

• Access to Innovative Therapies
• Glivec Global Patient Access Programs

-GIPAP
-Shared Contribution Model
-Co-pay Model

• GIPAP in Africa
• First Annual African Breast Cancer Conference
• Employee Support Network Helps Nigerian Cancer Patients

Novartis

• Revolution in the Treatment of Malaria
• Fighting Leprosy
• Stop TB Partnership

Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

• Improved Access to Treatment of Malaria in Tanzania
• Millennium Villages Project in Tanzania
• Psychosocial Support for AIDS Orphans
• Patient-centered Treatment of TB in Tanzania
• Self-reliance of the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health in Ifakara
• Access to Primary Healthcare Services in Rural Mali
• Dialogue for Change

Novartis Oncology

Access to Innovative Therapies

The issues of access to medicines is complex, involving factors such as development and health policies, health system infrastructure, pricing, rational use of drugs and adequate funding.

Today, millions of patients around the world benefit from Novartis initiatives—from drug donation and research programs to combat neglected diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy in developing nations, to patient assistance programs that help cancer patients access the most innovative and effective treatments available.

In 2007, Novartis contributions were valued at USD $937 million and reached 65.7 million patients globally.

The primary role of Novartis Oncology is to discover and develop cancer therapies that impact and extend patients' lives. Novartis Oncology is committed to providing all patients with sustainable access to our cancer therapies. This requires working with local, regional, and sometimes global organizations to help facilitate access to those medicines.

Providing access to cancer treatments is complicated, demanding collaboration and compromise among industry, government, insurers, payors, physicians, and patient groups. Novartis Oncology works with these groups around the world to find innovative means to enhance access.

The most efficient access to our cancer therapies is achieved through an existing local healthcare system. Therefore, Novartis Oncology initiatives are customized and designed to address local needs, and leverage local infrastructure and systems.

Glivec Global Patient Access Programs

For Glivec prescribing and safety information, click here.

Novartis Oncology's approach to access to medicines is dynamic. We are continually exploring new and innovative ways to enhance access to our treatments, taking into account local, regional, and global needs. As the economic, healthcare, and social dynamics of developing countries evolve, Novartis Oncology has explored new ways to maximize affordable and sustainable Glivec access for a broader group of patients by pursuing creative public-private partnerships.

Since its introduction, Glivec (imatinib mesylate) has revolutionized the treatment and management of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) through precise molecular targeting. It is also indicated for several rare tumors.

The remarkable success achieved with Glivec as therapy for CML and metastatic and/or unresectable GIST, has established Glivec as a breakthrough medicine and the standard of care for these malignancies —and makes it all the more important for this medicine to be accessible to patients all over the world

The Glivec Global Patient Access Programs comprise a range of flexible models by which Novartis Oncology partners with individual governments of developing countries. Novartis Oncology also seeks ways to work with non-government organizations (NGOs), foundations, physicians, and other healthcare providers to customize the patient access models to achieve the common goals: the best cancer care possible for the greatest number of patients.

Novartis Oncology's multi-faceted approach to global access programs employs a variety of methods to maximize Glivec drug accessibility to patients. In 2007 alone, Novartis Oncology provided USD $535 million worth of Glivec to patients who otherwise would not have been able to afford treatment.

Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP™)

Because of the critical importance of Glivec as a lifesaving cancer therapy, in 2002 Novartis Oncology established the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program. GIPAP is a sustainable corporate citizenship commitment in developing countries that includes direct-to-patient drug donation and disease management support as well as information for patients, their family members, and caregivers.

GIPAP is one of the most generous and far-reaching patient assistance programs ever developed on a global scale. Since its implementation in early 2002, GIPAP has provided Glivec to more than 30,000 patients in 80 developing countries with minimal reimbursement capabilities who would not otherwise have access to the drug to treat their life-threatening diseases.

Indeed, six years after its launch, GIPAP has touched tens of thousands of lives, and the program is making a significant impact on patients, families, and communities every day.

As some developing countries establish government-based healthcare coverage, Novartis Oncology has begun to work with them in new ways. To continue to enhance Glivec access in developing countries above and beyond our commitment through GIPAP, Novartis Oncology has developed additional shared accountability models. These approaches to patient access are available for patients who are properly diagnosed with certain forms of CML and GIST who do not meet the GIPAP financial eligibility criteria.

Shared Contribution Model

Government healthcare systems, charities or other payors and Novartis Oncology share the cost of the medication. Novartis Oncology partners with national or provincial government systems to cover the cost of treatment for patients in need. The patient does not contribute to the cost of treatment. The Shared Contribution Model applies to patients eligible to receive government healthcare reimbursement in countries where Glivec is reimbursed on the local level.

Co-pay Model

Novartis Oncology and the patient share the cost of Glivec on a sliding scale depending upon the patient's ability to pay. The Co-pay Model assists patients who do not meet the GIPAP financial eligibility criteria and do not live in a geographic area that has Shared Contribution access. Patients contribute part of the cost of their treatment annually, with Novartis Oncology covering the balance.

These unique and flexible patient access models—Shared Contribution, Co-pay, and GIPAP (full donation)—are also designed to enhance patient adherence and sustainability to the treatment regimen. The access programs—in partnership with organizations that regularly deliver the medication—also offer emotional support and education to patients, their families and caregivers. The patient access programs create awareness about CML, GIST, and treatment options for patients and the communities where they live.

GIPAP in Africa

Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) has been operating in Kenya since 2005, initially with five patients. As of March 2008, there are 125 active patients in Kenya receiving Glivec by full donation. These GIPAP-participating patients are treated at a centralized GIPAP clinic within Nairobi Hospital . Despite operating as a private entity, Nairobi Hospital reaches patients from all regions of Kenya due to its high-quality service and commitment to philanthropic ventures such as GIPAP.

Currently, there are more than 1,300 active GIPAP patients in
30 countries in Africa.

First Annual African Breast Cancer Conference (AABCC)

The First Annual Africa Breast Cancer Conference took place in Abuja, Nigeria, March 18-19, 2008. The conference was organized by the Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation (founded by Director Princess Nikky Onyeri). Novartis Oncology was the lead sponsor for the inaugural Conference.

AABCC featured speakers who are specialists in the field of breast cancer from all parts of the world: the United States, Europe, Africa, and, of course, Nigeria. A total of 212 delegates attended consisting of health professionals, patient advocates, pharmaceutical companies, government representatives, members of the media, and breast cancer survivors.

Employee Support Network Helps Nigerian Cancer Patient

Novartis employees who have been touched by cancer, through a personal diagnosis and/or via close family or friend, have united their energies to form an internal network in the United States (Florham Park, NJ) called Cancer Hope.

Members of Cancer Hope organized an informal knitting circle as a way to create items that could benefit cancer patients. With the help of nearly 30 knitters, Cancer Hope has produced and donated nearly 250 knitted blankets, slippers and hats to local area hospitals for use by cancer patients undergoing treatment. They recently introduced ‘Super Hope Friends' for children, small stuffed animals that wear a knitted cape.

Through a global Novartis colleague Cancer Hope members learned their knitting could benefit breast cancer patients and survivors in Nigeria. For women in Nigeria who have undergone a mastectomy, prosthetic devices are not available. Cancer Hope members have produced more than 35 knitted prosthetic breasts for these Nigerian women in need. The knitted prostheses are a welcomed addition to their physical and emotional recovery.

Cancer Hope members continue to support the needs of cancer patients in the US and in Nigeria. Cancer Hope now looks to make this a truly global initiative with Cancer Hope support networks developing in Novartis offices abroad.

Novartis

Revolution in the Treatment of Malaria

For almost a decade (since 1999), Novartis has led a revolution in the treatment of malaria. The main battleground is Africa, where malaria kills more than a million people every year, mainly pregnant women and children younger than five years of age. Working with partners in China, Novartis had developed artemether/lumefantrine*, the first of a new class of antimalarial medicines known as artemisinin-based combination therapy, or ACT.

To ensure broad access to artemether/lumefantrine*, Novartis forged a partnership, with the WHO to provide artemether/lumefantrine* at no profit for use by public health systems in developing countries. In their agreement signed in 2001, Novartis and the WHO estimated that demand for artemether/lumefantrine* might exceed 2 million treatments within five years.

The exceptional efficacy of artemether/lumefantrine*, combined with availability of international donor financing through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, pushed demand for the new drug higher than anyone could have imagined. And as demand surged, Novartis and its partners responded with a rapid scale-up of production virtually unprecedented in the global pharmaceutical industry, particularly for a medicine supplied on a not-for-profit basis.

During 2006, more than 62 million treatment courses of artemether/lumefantrine* were delivered to more than 30 countries across Africa, helping to save an estimated 200,000 lives. Production capacity for artemether/lumefantrine* is now even higher—100 million treatments per year.

Fighting Leprosy

Since 2000, Novartis has provided free treatment for all leprosy patients worldwide in a pioneering collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 4.5 million people with leprosy have been treated through the use of effective multi-drug therapy (MDT) supplied by Novartis. Based on estimates from the WHO, Novartis MDT donations helped cure about 4.5 million patients in the past seven years. Since 2000, the company has supplied more than USD $64 million worth of drug.

Novartis has committed to work with the WHO to provide free treatment for all leprosy patients in the world at least through the end of 2010.

Stop TB Partnership

With almost 9 million new patients and more than 1.5 million deaths per year, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most urgent public health problems in the world.

On March 24, 2008, national and international organizations of the “Stop TB Partnership" commemorated World TB Day. This year's slogan—"I am stopping TB"—underscores the importance of every individual in the fight against this disease.

Novartis participates actively in the “Stop TB Partnership" by donating TB drugs accordant with WHO standards, free of charge, for 500,000 patients over a five year period. Recipient countries of the drug donation program have been Tanzania and Sri Lanka.

Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development produces and supports pioneering health projects in developing countries aimed at achieving specific goals in the fight against poverty and disease, as well as at inspiring and improving development policy and practice.

Improved Access to Treatment of Malaria in Tanzania

The ACCESS project supported by the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development aims at studying and improving access to effective malaria treatment in Tanzania. Malaria is one of the most common diseases in Tanzania and is one of the main causes of death.

The basic goals of ACCESS are to inform people about malaria, to increase acceptability of first-line treatment for malaria among the population and to improve the quality of treatment both in public health services and in the shops that sell medicines. The focus is not on any specific medicine, but on resolving the general problem of access, regardless of which medicine is the first-line treatment. The final goal is to see a decline in cases of disease and death. 

Millennium Villages Project in Tanzania

The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) in Tanzania was founded with the goal of helping impoverished communities in rural Africa achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) formulated and agreed on by all member countries of the United Nations. The MVP is active at 12 sites in 10 African countries. MVP aims primarily to help poor villages become self-sustaining units by 2015, thus reducing poverty. The main challenges are agricultural productivity, public health, education, and infrastructure.

In 2007 the Novartis Foundation For Sustainable Development started financing one of the Millennium Villages in Tanzania, the Ilolangulu Village. For a five-year-period the Novartis Foundation will invest in the village's transition from subsistence farming to self-sustaining commercial activity. Inadequate water supply, extreme hunger, failed crops and a high prevalence of malaria represented the early challenges at the beginning of the project at the Ilolangulu Village. After just one year, the results are positive.

REPSSI – Psychosocial Support for AIDS Orphans

There are more than 34 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa today and some 11 million of them are orphaned by AIDS.

The Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative for Children affected by AIDS, Poverty and Conflict (REPSSI) was founded, with the help of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, with the aim of laying down benchmarks in psychosocial support in eastern and southern Africa. REPSSI works with over 140 local NGOs to train psychosocial support course leaders and develop courses and manuals, and cooperates with the governments of the 13 African countries in which it operates with the objective of securing recognition of psychosocial support as a basic right and a fundamental element of social policy.

Patient-centered Treatment of TB in Tanzania

The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development is working closely with the Tanzanian National Tuberculosis Program to develop a new innovative approach and facilitate better access to TB treatment. Patient-centered treatment gives patients a choice of where they want to be treated—at home or at the health facility. The approach has been piloted in three districts of Tanzania during 2006 and 2007. The findings show that cure rates of TB patients under patient-centered treatment settings are better compared to the common health facility-based treatment.

Self-reliance of the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health in Ifakara

Public institutions in developing countries often suffer from lack of resources and management capacities. This project is intended to help strengthen the development of personnel not only in the Tanzanian health system, but also internationally. The first step in this direction has been taken with the newly created training center. Since the opening of the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health (TTCIH) the activities of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development concentrate on strengthening the position of the center. In this way, the TTCIH will become one of the best training centers in Tanzania and East Africa based on the quality and range of courses, facilities, and services.

Access to Primary Healthcare Services in Rural Mali

Poor rural populations in Mali and elsewhere are faced with multiple obstacles when seeking healthcare: they first have to mobilize resources within the family and neighborhood, and then they often have to overcome a certain distance to the next health center. Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development has helped establish a health insurance scheme in Mali 's largest rural community. The main components of the initiative consist of improving the technical quality of care; strengthening the organization and management of health centers; fostering existing health insurance schemes; and enhancing accessibility of services from the villages.

Dialogue for Change

The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development promotes development policy dialogue by taking part in conferences, symposia and workshops as well as through partnership with various councils, networks, technical committees and informal dialogue groups. It is in close collaboration with the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Development Program, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and a great variety of experts and NGOs.

To strengthen the development policy dialogue between the private sector, NGOs, research institutions and state bodies, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development organizes an international symposium every year. Well-known scientists and experts from around the world are invited to this one-day, public event to examine and discuss a topical development policy issue from various angles.

*Artemether/lumefantrine or Coartem is not everywhere (including the US). Please refer to local prescribing information where approved. The global product monograph can be found at

http://www.malariaandhealth.com/professional/downloads/
monographv6.pdf