Expanding Access to Healthcare
Through our core business – the discovery, development and marketing of innovative treatments – we have helped prevent and treat diseases, ease suffering and improve quality of life for people worldwide. At the same time, we have been working to get these treatments to more people who need them.
While significant progress has been made in tackling some of the world’s greatest healthcare challenges, billions of people still lack adequate access to medicines. We are working on ways to reimagine access to healthcare through programs that help patients worldwide get the medicines they need, when they need them, at prices they can afford – including those in lower-income countries weighed down by the dual burden of infectious and chronic diseases.
To help us find ways to improve access to our treatments for as many people as possible, we offer an array of approaches, including innovative, sustainable business models; equitable commercial models; zero-profit models; patient assistance programs; and philanthropic efforts. Our generics division, Sandoz, also helps make affordable, high-quality medicines available to more people.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to ensure healthy lives for all. We believe we can play a key role by finding new and innovative ways to drive access to our medicines, particularly in developing countries.
More needs to be done to strengthen healthcare services and to build capacity on the ground. More healthcare workers are needed who can prevent, diagnose and treat disease, as even the most effective treatments have limited impact without skilled healthcare personnel. Importantly, healthcare systems also need strong regulatory systems to support pharmacovigilance, good manufacturing and clinical practices, etc., which are vital to helping lower-income countries improve healthcare capabilities and patient outcomes.
Novartis works to expand healthcare capabilities by combining its scientific expertise with on-the-ground experience. Our local country organizations work to define and implement specific strategies tailored to the local needs.