Our response to COVID-19

In the face of a global crisis, Novartis quickly mobilized research and development capabilities, manufacturing capacities, clinical trial expertise and philanthropic aid to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine production and collaborating with partners

We are helping to support the global supply of vaccines and therapeutics. By leveraging our production facilities we support vaccine demand around the world. Novartis is partnering with multistakeholder consortia, including the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, coordinated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and Master-card, as well as a partnership supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative. We are participating with the University of California, Berkeley, and other pharmaceutical companies to develop an antiviral molecule to potentially treat all coronaviruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

Clinical investigations

We played our part in the scientific efforts to find treatments for COVID-19. We quickly designed and launched three Phase III, placebo-controlled trials to determine if our products could help patients with certain COVID-19-related symptoms. We provided these and other medicines to investigator- initiated trials and managed access programs upon request.

DARPin (Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins) Therapies

Novartis collaborated with Molecular Partners on the development of ensovibep, an investigational DARPin therapeutic candidate designed specifically to inhibit SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

DARPin therapeutics are a new class of custom-built therapies, developed by Molecular Partners, that link small protein elements into molecules to generate therapeutic effects. Ensovibep consists of five protein elements, three binding to three different places of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and two intended to extend the half-life.

Following positive topline results from Phase II of the EMPATHY clinical trial, Novartis exercised the option to in-license ensovibep from Molecular Partners and became responsible for further development, manufacturing, distribution and commercialization activities. In January 2023, Novartis took the decision to withdraw its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ensovibep. Novartis cannot confirm plans for further regulatory activities with ensovibep at this time but is monitoring the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate the future medical need.

Access and pricing commitments

Novartis is making 15 drugs that treat key symptoms of COVID-19 available to low-income and lowermiddle- income countries at zero profit until a vaccine or curative treatment is available. Our Sandoz Division is maintaining prices on a basket of essential medicines that may help in the treatment of COVID-19.

Community funds

Novartis committed to donating up to USD 40 million to support communities around the world impacted by the pandemic. This includes the Novartis COVID-19 Response Fund and a US COVID- 19 Community Response Fund, established by Novartis and the Novartis US Foundation, that will provide cash and in-kind donations for immediate response and recovery eorts related to the pandemic in the US.

Supporting our associates

We took steps to support our associates and their families as they adapted to new conditions and commitments such as working remotely, educating children at home, and caring for loved ones. We provided additional paid leave and enhanced childcare support for associates in critical roles who needed to be on site. We announced a new global policy to give office-based associates more flexibility to choose how, where and when they work.

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Disclaimer:

These materials contain 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 “to address,” “contribution,” “commitment,” “support,” “undertaking,” “maintaining,” “potential,” “plans,” “to sponsor,” “leading,” “partnering,” “supporting,” “to support,” “looking,” “spearheading,” “can,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “accelerate,” “to leverage,” “assessing,” “builds on,” 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 these materials, or regarding discussions about Novartis internal, external and collaborative research and development against COVID-19, assessments of whether our clinical-stage investigational or approved medicines could be repurposed beyond their intended or approved indications to treat complications of COVID- 19, support of clinical trials for existing and investigational Novartis medicines, the Sandoz commitment to maintain prices on a basket of essential medicines that may help in the treatment of COVID-19, commitments to contribute and donate up to USD 40 million to support the global COVID- 19 pandemic response. 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 these materials 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 described in these materials will be achieved or succeed, in the expected time frame, or at all. In particular, our expectations regarding such products, activities could be aected 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 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 these materials as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in these materials as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.