Novartis R&D initiatives help strengthen PH economy, enhance Filipinos' health

Novartis has made substantial contributions to support the Philippine economy and improve health outcomes of Filipinos.

“We are committed to helping strengthen the Philippine economy. In 2021, Novartis contributed PHP 8.1 billion to the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] of the Philippines. Sixteen percent of our company's total GDP contribution stems from R&D,” said Mr. Joel Chong, Country President, Novartis Healthcare Philippines, Inc.

In 2021, the full Novartis portfolio of medicines reached over 2.5 million Filipino patients.

1.4 million Filipino patients who took 80 Novartis medicine brands gained a total of 10,031 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). QALY is a generic measure of disease burden, including both the quality and the quantity of life gained. It is used in economic evaluation to assess the value of medical interventions. One QALY equates to one year in perfect health.

“To understand how these QALYs create social value for society, we monetize the years gained in perfect health into GDP contribution – both paid work and unpaid activities. This then results in our social impact of GDP contribution of healthier people and human capital impact that amounted to PHP 2.4 billion,” Chong explained.

In 2021, Novartis invested PHP 104 million in 27 clinical trials, benefitting 131 patients in Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Neuroscience and Oncology. The company also established five Centers of Excellence for Clinical Trials in local hospitals and research institutes, and developed local R&D skills through its Next Generation Scientists (NGS) training program in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“To improve access to medicines and improve health outcomes, we introduced lower-priced emerging market brands for heart failure, psoriasis, axial spondyloarthritis and breast cancer,” said Chong.

Novartis formed multi-stakeholder partnerships to promote Universal Health Care and address preventable blindness, leprosy, work-related health problems, heart failure, axial spondyloarthritis and breast cancer.

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“At Novartis, we aim to contribute to unleashing the potential of the country’s people & human resource. In 2021, our business operations created a total of 9,240 local jobs, including the employment of 441 Filipino associates,” Chong said.

Novartis has been officially recognized by the Top Employers Institute as a Top Employer in the Philippines for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. To become recognized as a Top Employer, an organization must demonstrate its commitment to putting their people first through their exceptional human resource or HR policies. Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognizing excellence in people practices.

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Novartis took concrete steps to help ensure sustained supply of essential life-saving medicines to patients and support the country's COVID-19 response led by the DOH. Its main thrust is to protect frontline health workers and support the expansion of the country’s treatment and testing capacity. The company’s pandemic support initiatives reached at least 28,500 beneficiaries. As part of its corporate social responsibility, Novartis provides relief and rehabilitation support to communities impacted by typhoons and other natural calamities.

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“Research & development is the heartbeat of Novartis. In our pursuit to discover and develop first- or best-in-class medicines for diseases with high unmet need, we explore possibilities to cure disease, intervene earlier in chronic illnesses, and find ways to improve and extend people’s lives,” said Chong.

To learn more about Novartis R&D, innovation and sustainability programs, visit the Novartis interactive exhibit at the Grand Hyatt Manila which is part of the Swiss Innovation Exhibit to be held from 24-26 October 2022. The event is hosted by the Swiss Embassy on the occasion of the 65th Philippine-Switzerland diplomatic relations. To register, access http://bitly.ws/uWoM.

The Novartis interactive exhibit features the anatomy of the heart and skin adapted from the Novartis Pavillon. Learn more about the wonders of medicine by visiting https://www.campus.novartis.com/en/novartis-pavillon.