Novartis China Recognized on Fortune China's 2024 ESG Impact List

Today, FORTUNE China released the "2024 FORTUNE China ESG Impact List," and Novartis China was selected for the list. Established by FORTUNE China magazine in 2022, the list benchmarks Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria and aims to highlight leading companies making a positive impact in the Chinese business environment. This year, the list has, for the first time, included multinational enterprises active in China.

We are very pleased that Novartis has been ranked on the 2024 Fortune China ESG Impact List. As a global leading healthcare enterprise, Novartis is committed to developing innovative drugs and advanced therapies with high clinical value for patients, continuously improving the accessibility of healthcare, while practicing environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance principles. I am delighted that these efforts continue to be recognized in China. We will keep striving to deepen trust with Chinese society and set an example in the industry.

As a globally leading multinational pharmaceutical company, Novartis is committed to "reimagining medicine to improve people’s quality of life and extend human lifespan." Guided by this mission, Novartis actively implements ESG principles and practices, enhances the accessibility of innovative medicines, addresses global health challenges, and continuously reduces its environmental impact.

Novartis is committed to achieving full "net-zero emissions" across its entire value chain by 2040. Compared to 2016, Novartis reduced carbon emissions from its own operations, waste treatment, and water consumption by nearly 60% for the whole year of 2023. Leveraging its strengths as a pharmaceutical company, Novartis has expanded access to healthcare and has ranked among the top in the global Access to Medicine Index for over a decade. In 2023, Novartis invested a total of $98.4 million in researching new drugs for malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Over the past 30 years, Novartis has provided free medication that has cured nearly 18 million leprosy patients worldwide. Novartis is also the first pharmaceutical company globally to issue a sustainability bond.

In China, Novartis actively practices environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance concepts and practices. Novartis has implemented multiple ESG projects in China.

Launched in 2010, the Novartis Southwestern Sichuan Forest Carbon Sequestration, Community, and Biodiversity Project is the first afforestation carbon reduction project in China to directly collaborate with a foreign enterprise. Overcoming multiple challenges such as high altitude, harsh natural conditions, and conflicts between forestry and animal husbandry, the project has planted and replanted more than 21 million trees across 4,095.4 hectares of land, bringing economic, social, and environmental benefits to the local area. The project was also selected as an outstanding case in the 2023 Fortune China ESG list.

The "Healthy Linked Counties" County-level Medical Capability Enhancement Project, jointly initiated by Novartis China and the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, is a key project under the "National Health Promotion Project" signed between Novartis and the Chinese Red Cross Society. By means of training, free clinics, science popularization, and expert visits to grassroots areas, the project aims to enhance the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of county-level doctors in fields such as cardiovascular diseases, immunodermatology, and ophthalmology. It actively responds to the Chinese government's "Strengthening Grassroots Healthcare" strategic goal, promoting the healthy development of grassroots healthcare systems, and seeking welfare for the health of grassroots communities.

Novartis China Fully Implements Sustainable Development in Its Operations. The Novartis Shanghai Campus, located in Pudong Zhangjiang, serves as the headquarters of Novartis China and its regional research and development center. Currently, the campus utilizes 64% green electricity, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 4,382 tons annually, equivalent to the emissions of 1,800 cars, while also collecting nearly 5,400 tons of rainwater each year. At the Novartis Changshu R&D site, new technologies such as enzymatic catalysis, continuous reaction, and asymmetric hydrogenation have been applied in the development process of a cardiovascular drug, cutting the synthesis steps by 50% and achieving a reduction of 450 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of product. The Beijing Changping production base of Beijing Novartis Pharma Co., Ltd. has installed solar panels and heat collection pipes, generating nearly 1 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually.

Novartis is committed to providing innovative drugs with high clinical value for patients in China, offering a broad portfolio and rich pipeline that covers major disease areas such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, oncology, and ophthalmology, actively addressing the diverse needs of Chinese patients. Since 1987, Novartis has received approval in China for over 100 innovative drugs and new indications. In 2023, more than 69 million patients in China benefited from Novartis' innovative medicines.

Since 2022, Novartis has achieved 100% synchronization with global developments in the introduction of new drugs and new indications in China. Novartis is committed to achieving over 90% synchronization for the registration of new drugs and new indications in China within the next two years, further accelerating the introduction of innovative medicines into China.

Novartis China has also spared no effort in expanding the accessibility of healthcare, with nearly 40 innovative drugs included in the National Reimbursement Drug List since 2017.

About Novartis

Novartis is a company focused on innovative medicines. We constantly strive to envision the future of healthcare, improving people's quality of life and extending human lifespan, thereby empowering patients, healthcare professionals, and society when facing serious disease challenges. In 2023, our medicines benefited approximately 284 million people worldwide.

About NovartisChina

Novartis is a company focused on innovative medicines. The Chinese name of the company, "诺华", signifies "a promise to China," which means improving the health and quality of life of the Chinese people through continuous innovation in products and services. Since 1987, Novartis has had more than 100 innovative drugs and new indications approved in China.

For more information, please visit the Novartis China website: http://www.novartis.com.cn.

Editor: Bai Ji

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