Novartis and Malaria No More help fulfill malaria treatment goal in Zambia by raising funds for three million treatments through Power of One

BASEL, Switzerland, November 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ —

• Power of One campaign, supported by exclusive treatment sponsor Novartis, raises funds for three million treatments for children with malaria

• Novartis associates rallied behind Power of One to fund close to 500,000 antimalarial treatments for Zambia

• Company reaches delivery landmark with 700 million antimalarial treatments supplied without profit in 60 malaria-endemic countries since 2001

Novartis (http://www.novartis.com) announced today that, through Power of One, enough funds have been raised to deliver three million antimalarial treatments for children in Zambia. Launched in September 2013, Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign is supported by Novartis as the exclusive treatment sponsor.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/novartis.jpg

Although preventable and treatable, malaria still kills a child every minute(1). Support for Power of One reflects the Novartis commitment to help accelerate progress toward malaria elimination. Every dollar donated to the campaign buys and delivers a treatment for a child with malaria in Africa. Using social, mobile, and e-commerce technologies, donors can see the impact of their donation on the ground, share the experience with their networks and recruit other donors.

“Power of One is a natural extension of our company’s commitment to the fight against malaria and I am very proud of the contributions Novartis associates have made to help children in Zambia,” said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “Over the past decade, we have delivered 700 million antimalarial treatments without profit in malaria-endemic countries but more work is needed. We need to continue to step up efforts, not only by increasing access to antimalarials but also by researching next-generation treatments to move closer to our vision of a malaria-free world.”

The Novartis Malaria Initiative (http://www.malaria.novartis.com) has pledged to match up to 1 million treatments funded by the public every year through 2015, doubling the impact of Power of One donations. Novartis Group company associates from 42 countries also rallied behind Power of One to support the company’s goal to eliminate malaria. During the past 12 months, several creative efforts have enabled associates to raise enough money to fund close to 500,000 treatments. Activities included a brand-related cause marketing campaign led by the Over-the-Counter business in Switzerland, participation in the Global Corporate Challenge® through the company’s Be Healthy well-being program and a global internal fundraising competition.

“After only a year, thanks to the generosity of the global public and Novartis associates, we have been able to meet our goal of raising three million treatments for children in Zambia,” said Martin Edlund, CEO, Malaria No More. “This is a great achievement but we need to continue the fight and help ensure no child dies from malaria due to lack of a one dollar treatment.”

The initial focus country of Power of One was Zambia, the first African country to change its treatment guidelines from chloroquine to newer artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The campaign will now also benefit patients in Kenya, where 200,000 treatments have just been delivered, in an effort to help drive down malaria morbidity and mortality among children.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Novartis International AG.

About Power of One

Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign offers the global public and corporations the opportunity to help end malaria deaths one dollar and one child at a time. Every dollar donated funds a full treatment course for a child diagnosed with malaria in Africa. Malaria No More is grateful for the support and contributions of Power of One partners: Novartis, Alere, the Zambian Government, 21st Century Fox, AGFUND, AHAlife.com, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Causes.com, Havas Worldwide, John Snow, Inc., Newman’s Own Foundation, PATH/MACEPA, Peace Corps, Time Warner, Twitter, the United States President’s Malaria Initiative, Venmo, West, and more. Additional information is available at www.Po1.org.

About the Novartis Malaria Initiative

The Novartis Malaria Initiative (http://www.malaria.novartis.com) is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest access-to-medicines programs, focused on treatment, access, capacity-building and research & development. Over the last decade, the initiative has delivered 700 million treatments without profit, mostly to the public sector, including 250 million pediatric antimalarials developed specifically for children. Moving forward, Novartis is committed to working towards malaria elimination by driving the development of next-generation antimalarials, with two new classes of drugs currently in Phase II clinical development. For more information, please visit: www.malaria.novartis.com.

Disclaimer

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as “commitment,” “next generation,” “vision,” “pledged,” “will,” “committed,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing authorizations for next generation antimalarial medicines, or regarding potential future revenues from such medicines. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that any next generation antimalarial medicines will be submitted or approved for sale in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that any such medicines will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, management’s expectations regarding such medicines could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including unexpected clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company’s ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing pressures; unexpected manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in 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 any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis (http://www.novartis.com) 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, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2013, the Group achieved net sales of USD 57.9 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 133,000 full-time-equivalent associates and sell products in more than 150 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at twitter.com/novartis.

References

1. World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line:

Liz Power

Novartis Global Media Relations

+1 212 830 2466 (direct)

+1 617 583 3015

elizabeth.power@novartis.com

Nadine Schecker

Novartis Malaria Initiative Communications

+41 61 696 8633 (direct)

+41 79 682 1326 (mobile)

nadine.schecker@novartis.com

e-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/Novartis

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact: journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com.

Novartis Investor Relations

Central phone: +41 61 324 7944

Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944

Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065

Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425

Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188

e-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com

North America:

Stephen Rubino +1 862 778 8301

Jill Pozarek +1 212 830 2445

Susan Donofrio +1 862 778 9257

e-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com

Source: AFRICAWIN