Novartis is the first company to earn global CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation by the non-profit organization CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a group of cancer fighting CEOs from a variety of industries, including healthcare. The designation recognizes the company’s efforts to provide support to Novartis associates in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

“At Novartis, we believe that everyone should have access to early screening programs and innovative therapies,” said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “Our efforts for our associates, which are recognized by this designation, are an extension of our goal to redefine cancer for all patients.”

Novartis is passionate about the discovery and development of innovative medicines to help provide a broad range of new therapies and practical solutions to advance care of patients. The company’s research is driven by a distinctive scientific and clinical strategy focusing on unmet medical needs and knowledge of disease pathways. The Novartis research strategy leverages biomarkers and targeted drug development focused on individual patients. The company’s extensive portfolio of access-to-treatment projects adapts to patients’ needs, products, collaborators and countries.

Novartis first achieved CEO Cancer Gold Standard designation in the US, and quickly extended these resources around the world. Since then, the company has offered programs such as:

• adding preventive health services in Portugal
• a yearlong plan on health promotion and its benefits in the Philippines
• regular screenings for colon and breast cancers in Japan and Brazil

The impact has been significant. In fact, through the Novartis cancer screening program alone, the company has already documented cases of early cancer detection among our associates and has been able to offer the kind of support and treatment that helps to change lives. Novartis continues to expand the program to leverage the company’s internal expertise and expand our cancer network and resources to support employees and their families with the best medical, emotional and physical support possible.

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard which calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace.

Disclaimer
This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as “should,” “efforts,” “goal,” “continues,” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update it in the future.

About Novartis
Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2012, the Group achieved net sales of USD 56.7 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.3 billion (USD 9.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 131,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com.

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Novartis

Novartis

Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach more than 250 million people worldwide.

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