Sandoz, Novartis Philippines announce donation of hydroxychloroquine to DOH

• Novartis has committed to making a global donation of up to 130 million doses of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to support efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Sandoz Philippines, the local subsidiary of the generics and biosimilars division of Novartis, today begins delivering the donated doses of hydroxychloroquine to the Department of Health (DOH), who are organizing its distribution to hospitals.

Manila, Philippines, April 30, 2020 – Today, the Novartis group in the Philippines announced the donation of a substantial amount of hydroxychloroquine to the Department of Health (DOH) to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the country. The aim of the donation is to enable patients to access a potential treatment while also advancing clinical research in the fight against COVID-19. DOH is responsible for distributing the drug to hospitals.

The consignment of hydroxychloroquine donated by Novartis is expected to put the Philippine government in a position to roll out a national treatment protocol for all currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and collect respective clinical data. Sandoz, the generics and biosimilars division of Novartis, has started to deliver the hydroxychloroquine doses of the donation to DOH today.

The treatment protocol¹ issued by the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Disease (PSMID), as endorsed by the DOH, includes hydroxychloroquine among the recommended treatments for hospitalized patients infected with COVID-19. Several clinical trials are underway to research the effect of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, a related substance, in treating COVID-19. This compound is used to treat malaria and auto-immune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and chronic polyarthritis. The product has not yet been approved in Europe for treating COVID-19 infections. The Philippine FDA responded quickly to the treatment recommendation by PSMID and DOH, fast-tracking the procedure to license Sandoz’s drug for use via donation by the Philippine DOH.

Eleanor Lopez, Country Head of Sandoz, the generics and biosimilars division of Novartis, in Philippines added: “At present, it is more important than ever that we fulfill our mission of providing primary healthcare in the Philippines. By donating this sizable quantity of hydroxychloroquine to the DOH, we are playing our part in this by enabling patients to access a potential treatment and supporting clinical research in the fight against COVID-19.”

This donation given to the DOH is part of the commitment made by Novartis to donate 130 million 200 mg doses of hydroxychloroquine globally by the end of May, subject to the condition that local regulatory authorities support the use of the drug for patients infected with COVID-19. In addition, Sandoz intends to work closely with other manufacturers to boost the production of hydroxychloroquine if required, and assist with supplying it to countries around the world.

Novartis commitment and response to COVID-19

Novartis is deeply dedicated to the global effort to combat COVID-19 and doing our part to support the stability of global healthcare systems. We announced a broad set of measures including the creation of a global fund of USD 20 million to support communities around the world impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Novartis also has committed 130 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to support pandemic response. In addition, Novartis joined two key cross-industry research initiatives, the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, coordinated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard, as well as a COVID-19 directed partnership organized by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Novartis is separately supporting COVID-19 related clinical investigations of several Novartis medicines. To support access, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division Sandoz became the first company to commit to keeping stable prices for a basket of essential medicines that may help in the treatment of COVID-19. More information about the Novartis response to COVID-19 is available on www.novartis.com/coronavirus.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 145 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com.

About Sandoz

Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical need. Our ambition is to be the world’s leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2019 sales of USD 9.7 billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany's Greater Munich area.

Sandoz Philippines Corporation, the Sandoz subsidiary in the country, is one of the Philippines’ leading suppliers of generic medicines. Its product portfolio of more than 200 products covers major therapeutic areas.