Being a responsible citizen

Why is it important?

Society increasingly expects companies to take a stand on global challenges such as poverty, social justice, climate change and other complex issues, which the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into even sharper focus. Our purpose as a global medicines company is inherently social, and we have a responsibility, together with governments and civil society, to contribute solutions to big societal problems. We can help drive positive change by harnessing the assets that make us successful in the first place: people, ideas and capital.

Our approach and performance

Novartis is committed to playing a positive and constructive role in society. We are focused on building a company that our patients, customers, associates, shareholders and partners can all be proud of. Above all, we aim to discover and develop breakthrough treatments that improve and extend people’s lives, and to deliver them to as many people as possible. Our primary concern is to protect the safety and well-being of everyone who uses our medicines. We engage with patients and caregivers worldwide to help ensure their needs and concerns are reflected in our clinical research and business operations. The health and safety of our associates are also key. As COVID-19 spread globally in 2020, we regularly assessed the situation and adapted accordingly to help ensure the well-being of those working remotely and those who needed to be on our premises. We want to be a responsible citizen wherever we do business, and we aim to minimize our environmental impact around the world.

In this section

Read about our efforts to protect the safety of those using our medicines, care for our people, and minimize our impact on the environment:

Helping ensure patient health and safety Our primary concern is to protect the safety and well-being of everyone who uses our medicines. Our patient health and safety activities are focused on three key areas: patient safety and product quality, combating falsified medicines, and health education and prevention.

Supporting patients and caregivers during COVID-19 The Novartis Commitment to Patients and Caregivers guides our associates and leaders to help ensure that patient insights inform our decisions.

Unleashing the power of our people We are transforming our culture to help fulfill our purpose of reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives, and to create an organization where people can fully apply their talent and energy at work.

Enhancing environmental sustainability Our commitment to environmental stewardship as a global healthcare company is directly aligned with our purpose to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. Our ambition is to be a leader in environmental sustainability, driving positive change through our operations and those of our suppliers.

Conducting animal research responsibly Novartis fully supports the use of alternatives to animal research wherever feasible. We have a Global Animal Welfare Policy and a set of animal welfare standards that define key principles, responsibilities and explicit requirements governing animal research.