June 05, 2008
Leading blood pressure medication Diovan® with diuretic reduces key sign of artery ageing which is linked to risk of heart attack and stroke
- First study to show Diovan/HCT improves artery elasticity in patients with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease[1]
- Diovan/HCT demonstrated superior benefits on artery elasticity, a strong predictor of increased risk of stroke and heart attack[2], compared to amlodipine
- Diovan/HCT lowered albumin excretion rate, a key marker of kidney disease, by 35% compared to a rise of 24% with amlodipine[1]
- Diovan is the world's number one branded high blood pressure medicine[3]
June 05, 2008
FDA broadens US indication for once-yearly Reclast® as only osteoporosis treatment approved for prevention of fractures after a hip fracture
- Revised label includes data showing 35% reduction in new clinical fractures in patients treated with Reclast following recent hip fracture[1]
- Few patients currently receive osteoporosis treatment following hip fracture despite high risk of morbidity and mortality[2]
- Safety and efficacy profile of Reclast, already approved for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis[1], reinforced in revised label
June 04, 2008
New data show potential of Rasilez®* to protect kidneys from damage independent of its proven ability to lower blood pressure
- AVOID study shows potential kidney protection benefits of Rasilez in type 2 diabetic patients with kidney disease and high blood pressure[1]
- Rasilez reduced albuminuria, a key indicator of kidney disease, by an additional 20% when added to maximum dose of angiotensin-receptor blocker losartan[1],[2]
- First clinical trial to present data on potential kidney-protective benefits of Rasilez, independent of its proven blood pressure reductions[3]
- Damage to kidneys caused by diabetes is leading cause of end-stage renal disease in developed countries[1]
June 04, 2008
Novartis gains rights to promising hospital antibiotic in clinical development through full acquisition of Protez Pharmaceuticals
- Acquisition of Protez Pharmaceuticals provides rights to PZ-601 and further strengthens specialty medicines development portfolio in hospital infections
- PZ-601 a novel broad-spectrum antibiotic in Phase II development against potentially fatal drug-resistant infections - including MRSA and ESBL strains
- Antibiotic resistance an important public health problem, estimated to account for more than 100,000 deaths annually in the US and Europe together
- Novartis to fully acquire privately-held Protez for initial payment of USD 100 million, potential for up to USD 300 million of additional payments contingent upon success of PZ-601
June 04, 2008
Novartis presents full pipeline of novel vaccines addressing significant unmet needs
- Late stage development pipeline with Menveo and MenB vaccines creating meningococcal vaccine franchise with strong growth potential
- Novartis leverages research excellence with first in class vaccines in early pipeline, preventing infections from Helicobacter pylori, Group B Streptococcus and other pathogens which pose significant public health challenges
June 02, 2008
Early data presented at ASCO show potential of RAD001 to enhance efficacy of, and overcome resistance to, breast cancer treatments
- Randomized Phase II data show RAD001 significantly increased efficacy of letrozole in women with newly diagnosed hormone-positive breast cancer
- Phase I studies suggest RAD001 may help overcome a major pathway of resistance to trastuzumab
- Novartis to further explore potential of RAD001 in breast cancer by initiating new trial in early 2009
May 31, 2008
Major independent trial demonstrates significant anticancer benefit of Zometa® in women with early-stage breast cancer
- Zometa when added to hormone therapy, following surgery, significantly reduced the risk of cancer returning or death by 36% beyond clinical benefits achieved with hormone therapy alone[1]
- Findings may allow clinicians to improve standard of care for premenopausal women diagnosed with hormone-sensitive, early-stage breast cancer
- These are the first data from a large clinical program exploring the direct anticancer effect of Zometa in breast, lung and prostate cancer
May 26, 2008
Extavia® approved in European Union for treatment of multiple sclerosis, first in planned portfolio of therapies from Novartis
- Extavia is Novartis brand for interferon beta-1b - an established therapy with more than 700,000 patient-years' experience to date[1]
- Launch of Extavia for early and relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) planned for US and Europe in first half of 2009
- Novartis committed to MS through extensive research and development programs, including novel oral therapy FTY720 currently in Phase III trials
- MS, a devastating disease causing progressive disability, affects an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide, including many young adults[2]
May 19, 2008
RAD001 more than doubles time without tumor growth after failure of standard treatment in patients with advanced kidney cancer
- RECORD-1 trial shows RAD001 reduces risk of disease progression by 70%
- RAD001 is first and only drug to show significant benefit after failure of approved therapies Sutent® or Nexavar®,** with potential to address unmet medical need
- Once-daily oral RAD001 directly targets and continuously inhibits mTOR, a protein that controls tumor cell division and blood vessel growth
- RAD001 is currently being studied in multiple types of cancer including neuroendocrine, breast, gastric, lung, and lymphoma
May 15, 2008
Strength and innovation of Novartis Oncology products and pipeline with potential to improve patient treatment demonstrated by more than 170 abstracts at ASCO annual meeting
- Unprecedented amount of research reflects depth and breadth of collaboration with investigators worldwide to develop new treatments for diverse forms of cancer
- Plenary session to highlight impact of Zometa®, the leading IV bisphosphonate, on relapse rate of patients with early-stage breast cancer
- Four oral sessions to feature RAD001, first oral once-daily continuous inhibitor of mTOR, including first results of RECORD-1 study in renal cell carcinoma
- Updated Phase II results with Tasigna® in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia to be presented
