Novartis focuses Pharmaceuticals Division by creating two business units, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Oncology; appoints leaders to the Executive Committee of Novartis - Seite 2

Bruno Strigini, currently Head of Novartis Oncology, will lead the Novartis Oncology business unit, comprised of the franchises Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapies. Mr. Strigini joined Novartis in 2014 from Merck & Co. to lead the oncology business and was instrumental in the successful integration of the oncology assets acquired from GSK. He will be based at the global headquarters of the Innovative Medicines Division and the Novartis Oncology business unit which will be in Basel, Switzerland. 

David Epstein, currently Division Head and CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, has decided to leave Novartis and explore new challenges from the US. "We would like to thank David for his substantial contribution to the development and growth of Novartis and its people over many years. He built our leading Oncology business and over the last six years has steered our Pharmaceuticals Division through a period of excellence in innovation, execution and improved financial results. Over the course of his career he and his teams have been responsible for leading the development and commercialization of an industry leading number of new medicines including groundbreaking therapies such as Glivec®, Gilenya®, Cosentyx® and Entresto(TM). I want to express my personal appreciation for all David has done for Novartis and patients and wish him continued success," said Joe Jimenez, CEO of Novartis.

From July 1, 2016 Novartis will continue to have three focused, customer-facing divisions: Innovative Medicines (formerly the Novartis Pharmaceuticals division), which will include the Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Oncology business units; Sandoz, the generics and biosimilar division, which includes the Retail Generics, Anti-Infectives and Biopharmaceuticals franchises; and Alcon, the eye care devices division, which includes the Surgical and Vision Care franchises. The divisions will be supported by Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Global Drug Development and Novartis Operations, which includes Technical Operations and Novartis Business Services.

Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "to leave," "will," "to focus," "expect," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the potential impact of the creation of the Pharmaceuticals and Oncology business units within our Innovative Medicines Division, or of the announced changes in leadership. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management 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 creation of the Pharmaceuticals and Oncology business units within our Innovative Medicines Division, or the announced changes in leadership will have any particular impact on Novartis. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including unexpected research or clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; general economic and industry conditions; global trends toward health care cost containment, including ongoing pricing pressures; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings; unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues; general economic and industry conditions, including uncertainties regarding future global exchange rates; uncertainties regarding potential significant breaches of data security 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 this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.