Sandoz launches Ask for Generics campaign in US, to raise awareness of importance of sustainable access to generic medicines

• Campaign to educate clinicians, payers, policymakers and patients on benefits of generic medicines

• Ask for Generics highlights accessibility and proven quality, safety and effectiveness of FDA-approved generic medicines

• As a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals, Sandoz supports US healthcare system by ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality, affordable medicines  

Princeton, New Jersey, November 30, 2020— Sandoz, a global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines, today announced the launch of its US Ask for Generics campaign. The goal of the campaign is to enhance public education and awareness of the benefits of generics and of how these affordable, high-quality medicines improve access to critical medicines and generate savings for patients and the US healthcare system.

Generics improve patient access to affordable medicines, accounting for over 90 percent of prescriptions filled in the US with an average patient copay of just USD 6.97. The campaign will provide factual information and resources on the proven success and value of generic medicines in the US and the integrity of the generic medicine supply chain. In 2019 alone, the US generic industry contributed more than USD 313 billion in savings,¹ with Sandoz medicines accounting for USD 12.1 billion.²

“Over 500 million patients worldwide rely on Sandoz to consistently produce and deliver the generic and biosimilar medicines they need,” said Carol Lynch, Sandoz US President and Head of North America. “Competition from generic medicines gives patients and payers choices in the marketplace. With this campaign, Sandoz hopes to reinforce clear messaging to patients, clinicians, policymakers and payers to appreciate the tremendous value generics deliver.”

With its broad global portfolio of approximately 1,000 affordable, high-quality molecules, Sandoz helps patients, healthcare professionals and communities to overcome access challenges and delivers increased value across the healthcare system.

Ask for Generics launched on Sandoz social channels as the first of a two-part educational campaign, with the second to be unveiled in early 2021.

Disclaimer

This media update contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” “pipeline,” “launch,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this media update, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations 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 investigational or approved products described in this media update will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that, if approved, such generic or biosimilar products will be approved for all indications included in the reference product’s label. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; competition in general, including potential approval of additional generic or biosimilar versions of such products; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; litigation outcomes, including intellectual property disputes or other legal efforts to prevent or limit Sandoz from selling its products; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, 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 media update as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this media update as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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 on social media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandoz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandoz_global
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandozglobal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandozglobal

CEO Richard Saynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-saynor/

References

1. Association for Accessible Medicines. 2020 Generic Drug & Biosimilars Access & Savings in the U.S. Report. September 29, 2020. https://accessiblemeds.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/AAM-2020-Generics-Biosimilars-Access-Savings-Report-US-Web.pdf. Accessed October 6, 2020.
2. Data on file. Sandoz US Generics Savings 2019. Sandoz Inc. October 2020.

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Sandoz US Communications