A letter from Alessandro Riva, MD
Executive Vice President, Global Head,
Oncology Development

Dr Alessandro Riva joined Novartis Oncology in January 2005 as Global Head of Novartis Oncology Development. Working closely with research and experimental therapeutics colleagues, Dr Riva focuses on building a platform to enable future leadership in oncology through an even stronger development capability and portfolio.

As an oncologist/hematologist by training,
Dr Riva began his career at Famitalia Carlo Erba and later moved to clinical development leadership positions for Rhone-Poulenc Rohrer and then to Aventis, where he successfully developed and submitted oncology drugs at the global level, including the worldwide submission and approval of docetaxel/Taxotere for advanced breast cancer. Dr Riva has also co-founded the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BIRG) and the Cancer International Research Group (CIRG) and he has been involved in the development of docetaxel and trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting of breast cancer. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers and abstracts in the field of oncology.

At Novartis Oncology, it’s not enough to be a leader in laboratory research. Our breakthroughs at the bench only become meaningful when they bring benefits to patients— and that’s what we do. Our mission is distinguished by 3 key values—passion, quality, and speed.

Our passion for creating improved therapies for patients with cancer is shared by the leading investigators who work with us. We can’t fight cancer alone—so we strengthen our execution in the local setting through collaborations with the academic institutions and cooperative groups.

The quality of our pipeline is measured in its breadth— a wide variety of compounds representing multiple anticancer strategies—and in its depth. We are committed to therapies in every stage of clinical development, from exploratory Phase I studies to large, multinational Phase III registration trials.

Finally, we deliver speed for our patients. When the promise of a new therapy in the lab is validated in the clinic, we owe it to our patients to make that therapy available and accessible. By increasing the pace of clinical development, we can bring life-enhancing therapy to more patients more quickly.

Through passion, quality, and speed, our mission is to turn the promise of our innovative pipeline into the reality of life-enhancing therapies for patients with cancer.