Neuroscience and Ophthalmics (NSO)

For more than 50 years, Novartis has made significant advances in neuroscience pioneering early breakthrough treatments for disorders of the central nervous system including:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Epilepsy
• Depression
• Migraine
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Schizophrenia

Novartis is also a leader in the treatment of ophthalmic conditions, most importantly “wet” age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people over age 50.

Leading products include Exelon and Exelon Patch (rivastigmine tartrate) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease, Trileptal (oxcabazepine) for the treatment of epilepsy and Stalevo (carbidopa, levodopa and entacapone) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In ophthalmics, Lucentis (ranibizumab) is the first product to show improved vision in patients with “wet” AMD. Visudyne (verteporfin) is another key treatment for “wet” AMD.

Our leading development compounds are FTY720 (fingolimod) for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis and AGO178 (agomelatine) for depression. In addition, Lucentis (ranibizumab) is in development for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, which can cause vision loss in people with diabetes. Early-stage development projects include compounds to treat AMD, glaucoma and psoriasis.