Novartis Responsible Lobbying Disclosures

At Novartis, our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives. In order to achieve this, we strive to engage in constructive dialogue with policymakers and other external stakeholders with the aim of improving access and patient outcomes.

Responsible lobbying

Our intent is to represent the perspective of Novartis in the policy making process by providing data and insights which enable informed decision-making. We undertake political activities in a responsible and ethical manner with a view to creating a sustainable business environment. Our political activities include responsible lobbying, monitoring of the political environment at a global, regional, and local level, engagement with trade associations and financial contributions to support the political dialogue.

Our guide to responsible lobbying has threes principles:

Principle 1: Transparency, honesty and integrity are the core values reflected in how Novartis conducts lobbying.
Principle 2: All lobbying activities should enable widely informed decision-making in favor of improving and extending people’s lives through innovative science and technology, delivering breakthrough treatments to as many people as possible and sustaining a rewarding business environment.
Principle 3: Novartis associates must not attempt to improperly influence any decision by inducing lobbied stakeholders to act or not to act in violation of their lawful duties.

Read the Novartis Global Guideline (PDF 0.1 MB) for responsible lobbying.

Governance

All Novartis associates and third parties retained by Novartis to lobby on behalf of the company must act in accordance with the principles and rules established in the Novartis guideline on responsible lobbying. In addition, any third party that acts or lobbies on behalf of Novartis is subject to our anti-bribery due diligence process before it can be engaged. Appropriate training is provided to all associates engaged in lobbying. The due diligence process for all third parties engaging with political stakeholders has been strengthened.

Overall Novartis political engagement is - like any other Novartis activity - governed globally by the Novartis Code of Ethics and relevant policies such as the Anti-bribery Policy and the Third-Party Guideline. Compliance with all Novartis policies and guidelines is subject to monitoring through the Novartis auditing mechanisms.

UNITED STATES: DISCLOSURES

In compliance with the U.S. federal law, Novartis discloses all expenditures related to federal lobbying on a quarterly basis. To access Novartis lobbying reports, please reference the United States Senate and House of Representatives lobbying disclosure databases.

2021 Novartis US Lobbying Expenditures: USD 6 580 000
2020 Novartis US Lobbying Expenditures: USD 5 980 000
2019 Novartis US Lobbying Expenditures: USD 5 970 000
2018 Novartis US Lobbying Expenditures: USD 5 830 000
2017 Novartis US Lobbying Expenditures: USD 8 640 000

Novartis retains membership in external groups representing various stakeholders in the healthcare sector and economy at large. These organizations include trade associations and business groups. Some of the trade associations lobby on behalf of Novartis.

2021 Novartis Memberships: USD 30 047 052
2020 Novartis Memberships: USD 27 784 292
2019 Novartis Memberships: USD 27 227 086
2018 Novartis Memberships: USD 27 996 208
2017 Novartis Memberships: USD 25 547 251

Certain states permit corporations to use their treasury dollars to contribute to state political candidates and committees. Where permitted, Novartis uses corporate treasury dollars to support state candidates and committees such as the National Governors Association.

2021 Corporate Political Contributions: USD 497 669
2020 Corporate Political Contributions: USD 433 250
2019 Corporate Political Contributions: USD 513 670
2018 Corporate Political Contributions: USD 520 850
2017 Corporate Political Contributions: USD 421 350

Novartis PAC, a voluntary, bi-partisan organization, supports candidates for public office who advocate for issues important to the Novartis mission, demonstrate political leadership or represent a state or district where the company has a facility or a large concentration of employees. Novartis PAC only uses voluntary funds received from eligible employees (but not from the company) to make political contributions. Members eligible to contribute to Novartis PAC are part of the company’s restricted class who are either U.S. citizens or green card holders. These contributions are reported monthly to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC)

2021 Novartis US PAC Spend: USD 198 773
2020 Novartis US PAC Spend: USD 197 530
2019 Novartis US PAC Spend: USD 240 550
2018 Novartis US PAC Spend: USD 268 182
2017 Novartis US PAC Spend: USD 201 559

SWITZERLAND: DISCLOSURES

In Switzerland, Novartis supports political parties represented in the government and other parties with a political agenda and positions supporting the strategic interests of the company in pursuit of the company mission. Swiss political parties are completely privately financed, and corporate contributions are considered crucial. The private financing of parties is a deeply rooted trait of Swiss political culture and contributing to the system is an important element of being a good corporate citizen.

2021 Switzerland Political Contributions: USD 365 994 / CHF 335 000
2020 Switzerland Political Contributions: USD 438 252 / CHF 395 000
2019 Switzerland Political Contributions: USD 576 883 / CHF 559 000
2018 Switzerland Political Contributions: USD 600 387 / CHF 590 000
2017 Switzerland Political Contributions: USD 615 637 / CHF 600 000

The local approval process for making political contributions is explicit. First and foremost all contributions must be compliant with applicable laws, regulations and industry codes. Provision is to be made under a separate budget position and approved in the annual budget process. Political contributions in Switzerland are under the supervision of the Chairman of the Board of Novartis.

2021 Novartis Memberships: USD 6 247 306 / CHF 5 718 253
2020 Novartis Memberships: USD 5 508 592 / CHF 4 964 932
2019 Novartis Memberships: USD 5 134 245 / CHF 4 975 083
2018 Novartis Memberships: USD 5 728 635 / CHF 5 629 530
2017 Novartis Memberships: USD 5 813 023 / CHF 5 665 372

EUROPE: DISCLOSURES

In compliance with the EU law, Novartis discloses all expenditures related to European Union lobbying on a yearly basis. To access Novartis lobbying details, please consult the Europa.eu Transparency Register lobbying disclosure databases.

All lobbying expenditures and membership fees calculations have been done following the Transparency Register Implementation Guidelines and are consistent with the guidance provided by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA):

2021 Novartis EU Lobbying Expenditures: USD 2 274 274 / EUR 1 871 728
2020 Novartis EU Lobbying Expenditures: USD 2 213 955 / EUR 1 942 912
2019 Novartis EU Lobbying Expenditures: USD 1 921 795 / EUR 1 716 630
2018 Novartis EU Lobbying Expenditures: USD 2 157 528 / EUR 1 827 802
2017 Novartis EU Lobbying Expenditures: USD 2 061 001 / EUR 1 828 749

2021 Novartis Memberships: USD 473 177 / EUR 389 425
2020 Novartis Memberships: USD 536 212 / EUR 470 567
2019 Novartis Memberships: USD 762 667 / EUR 681 247
2018 Novartis Memberships: USD 631 982 / EUR 535 399
2017 Novartis Memberships: USD 515 788 / EUR 457 665