With our corporate responsibility programs, we want to help people in a targeted manner. We do this with initiatives in our immediate environment and across borders with projects that support people around the world in gaining access to high-quality medical care. As an active designer of medical progress, social commitment is also a mandate.

However, we also see social responsibility as a company in sustainable and responsible action in an economic, social and ecological sense.

Social responsibility

As a local company, we take social responsibility in Austria seriously. We regularly organize the “Partnership Day” with our employees, which supports regional and social projects and institutions. The focus of this Novartis initiative is the commitment and cooperation of the employees who jointly supported social institutions and tasks throughout Austria for a day.

In addition, there are selected social sponsoring projects that benefit domestic initiatives and institutions.

Commitment to New Formulations: Solvable Tablets

As a manufacturer of antibiotics, Sandoz GmbH has committed itself to paying particular attention to new formulations. One example of this are special, easily soluble antibiotics that were developed in Kundl on behalf of UNICEF for children in developing areas. The drugs are primarily used to fight pneumonia, which is still considered the leading cause of death in children under five in developing countries. For this initiative, Sandoz GmbH received the Generics Bulletin Award “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative of the Year”.

Novartis Access, an unprecedented global initiative, was launched to prevent chronic diseases from increasing in low- and middle-income countries and to strengthen local health systems. The aim of the offensive is to improve access to our medicines for patients in developing countries. We enable the availability and affordability of drug treatment for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases and breast cancer. The portfolio currently includes 15 drugs – Novartis and Sandoz products – available to local governments, NGOs and public health providers at a cost of USD 1.00 per treatment per month.

World Child Cancer (initiative for children with cancer)

If a child develops cancer in industrialized countries, their chances of survival are almost 80 percent. The situation is completely different in developing countries: here only every 10th child survives. However, we share the belief that improving child survival rates in developing countries is achievable and affordable.

Sandoz therefore entered into a partnership with World Child Cancer in. This non-profit organization is active in 13 countries. The partnership started in the Philippines and supports the establishment of specialized cancer centers in the island region of Mindanao. 1

With this partnership, Sandoz is helping to build up medical know-how on site and thus improve the survival rates of affected children.