The Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis AG was born out of the 1996 merger of two organisations – Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in history.
The company has stayed at the top of its game ever since. It continues to manufacture many drugs in widespread use, including clozapine, carbamazepine, valsartan, imatinib mesylate, cyclosporine, letrozole, and methylphenidate – to name just a few.
Today, Novartis is the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world based on revenue from prescription drugs. It is also a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
It has built this global reputation largely thanks to its innovation in several key therapeutic areas. Novartis is heavily invested in early interventions and the development of pioneering treatments of cardiovascular disease, from prevention to management, as well as the creation of innovative access models.
Haematology is another area of specialist focus. Together with its research partners, Novartis led the era of targeted therapies in blood cancer and in investigating how these medicines could transform patient outcomes.
Novartis is also heavily focused on immunology. It has helped transform the standard of care for children and adults suffering from conditions such as psoriatic disease and axial spondyloarthritis, chronic urticaria, and several rare autoinflammatory diseases. Novartis companies have also been pioneering new treatments and tackling neurological conditions for more than 80 years.
This long-standing commitment to innovation and patient care has seen the company receive many accolades. Most notably, Novartis has won a Reuters Responsible Business Award and features in the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, as well as Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies lists.
The pharma giant’s financials are just as impressive. In 2022, Novartis posted annual revenues of over USD 50bn.
