Novartis and the Novartis US Foundation establish USD 5 million US COVID-19 Community Response Fund

EAST HANOVER, N.J., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis announced today, that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, Novartis and the Novartis US Foundation have established a US COVID-19 Community Response Fund. The Fund will provide cash and in-kind donations totalling USD 5 million for immediate response and recovery efforts related to the pandemic.

"COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the lives of Americans in many unprecedented ways. As a leading medicines company, we understand the public health implications of this pandemic and must do our part to support organizations that are in the best position to provide services to people in need," said Tom Kendris, US Country President, Novartis Corporation and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Novartis US Foundation. "This latest commitment is just one of many Novartis has made to help fight COVID-19 globally. From donations of hydroxychloroquine, monetary funds and equipment donations, to R&D programs and collaborations, we are humbled and pleased to offer financial support as well as scientific expertise."

In addition to the aforementioned grants to the Commons Project, Americares and Direct Relief, the Novartis US Foundation will provide grants upwards of USD 100,000 through the US COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which will accept proposals for programs addressing the following:

• Strengthening local and national healthcare infrastructure to meet increased demand and protect frontline healthworkers
• Establishing digital platforms for COVID-19 related data collection, remote delivery of healthcare and effective dissemination of important public health information
• Creating or enhancing new community health programs specific to the pandemic response

To apply to the Novartis US COVID-19 Community Response Fund, please visit novartis.us/coronavirus.

To learn more about the Commons Project COVIDCheck digital app, as well as Americares and Direct Relief's support on safety net clinics, please visit the organizations websites at:

• The Commons Project Foundation: https://www.thecommonsproject.org/covidcheck
• Americares: https://www.americares.org/
• Direct Relief: https://www.directrelief.org/

In addition to this commitment to support external efforts around COVID-19, the company is also committed to doing our part to help slow the spread of the disease and has issued an update requesting that all non-essential US-based associates work from home starting March 16 until at least May 1, 2020. 

"At Novartis we recognize the implications COVID-19 could have on the patients we serve and the healthcare providers we support," Tom Kendris added. "We have implemented a number of solutions to help ease the burden that many may be experiencing during this time, including enhancing virtual support in our patient and physician call centers and expediting patient access requests."

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "to support," "to focus," "to provide," "to offer," "committed," "commitment," "under development," "builds," "strengthening," "creating," "enhancing," "expediting," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding discussions about the Novartis US Foundation establishment of a USD 5 million response fund to to support local initiatives and communities in the US impacted by  COVID-19, Novartis participation in an R&D collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and expanded R&D efforts against COVID-19, Novartis establishment of a USD 20 million Novartis COVID-19 global response fund, and a commitment to donate up to 130 million doses of hydroxychloroquine. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations 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 the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that the activities and efforts described in this press release will be acheived or succeed, in the expected time frame or at all. In particular, our expectations regarding such products, activities and efforts could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic  and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, 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.

Novartis commitment and response to COVID-19
Novartis is deeply dedicated to the global effort to combat COVID-19 and doing our part to support the stability of global healthcare systems. We announced a broad set of measures including the creation of a global fund of USD 20 million to support communities around the world impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Novartis also has committed 130 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to support pandemic response. In addition, Novartis joined two key cross-industry research initiatives, the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, coordinated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard, as well as a COVID-19 directed partnership organized by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Novartis is separately supporting COVID-19 related clinical investigations of several Novartis medicines. To support access, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division Sandoz became the first company to commit to keeping stable prices for a basket of essential medicines that may help in the treatment of COVID-19. More information about the Novartis response to COVID-19 is available on novartis.com/coronavirus and novartis.us/coronavirus.

About the Novartis US Foundation
The Novartis US Foundation is a charitable organization established by Novartis to support philanthropic efforts in the United States.  The Novartis US Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation established by Novartis. The mission of the Novartis US Foundation is to improve health in underserved communities in the United States by creating innovative and sustainable solutions to expand access to healthcare and build trust within the healthcare system. We do this by supporting sustainable programs and partnerships that strengthen health systems, eliminate barriers to quality health services, and enhance local communities.

About Novartis
Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation – an affiliate of Novartis – is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis employs about 15,000 people in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.us.

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