Sickle Cell Disease
Novartis is pursuing a comprehensive approach to tackling sickle cell disease. We are developing innovative new medicines to treat it and are working to expand people’s access to diagnosis and treatment.
Sickle cell disease is a hereditary and life-threatening condition that causes ongoing vascular damage and repeated injury to blood vessels and organs. This lifelong illness often takes an extreme emotional, physical, and financial toll on patients and their families.
For over 40 years Novartis has been committed to understanding sickle cell disease and working towards treatment. Through research, educational resources and access programs, we will continue our efforts to support patients, healthcare providers and caregivers.
A pioneering collaboration brings sickle cell treatment to more people
A dedicated doctor, the government of Ghana and Novartis are working together to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell disease.
Watch the video to see the moving story of a young sickle cell patient named Caleb and learn about the collaborative effort to screen more newborn babies for the disease and improve people’s access to medicine and care.
Sickle cell disease is a public health priority and a neglected health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, which carries approximately 80% of the global disease burden. The disease takes a heavy toll on children: it is estimated that approximately 1 000 children in Africa are born with sickle cell disease every day and more than half will die before they reach the age of five. Against this background, Novartis launched a first of-its-kind effort to manage the disease holistically in Africa. First launched in Ghana in 2019, the Novartis Africa SCD program aims to reach a total of 10 African countries by 2022. Download sickle cell disease fact sheet.
Raising awareness with untold sickle cell stories
Sickle cell patients from around the world have shared their stories with us and are helping show what living with this disease truly looks like. They are not alone. We are a large community and support system and together we can do more.
Every day, people endure the painful and life-threatening symptoms of sickle cell disease in the shadows because of fear, stigma, and isolation. Now, a new picture is emerging.
Together with Dr. Alex Kumar, a global health physician and photographer, Novartis is sharing images and stories from around the globe that are intended to inspire the sickle cell community and raise awareness of the disease to help change how the world sees it.
More needs to be done. That is why Novartis is working together with patient support groups around the world to help bring sickle cell disease out of the shadows. Learn more at UntoldSickleCellStories.com
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Novartis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborate to discover and develop an accessible in vivo gene therapy for sickle cell disease |
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Partners Novartis partner, Hemex Health, develops point of care diagnostic |
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Patient Insights Five things we learned about sickle cell disease from the Sickle Cell World Assessment Survey
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