Daniel Vasella
Chairman & CEO, Novartis

Of all the CSR priorities today, why are HIV/AIDS, TB, and/or malaria high on your agenda?

Addressing the health problems of the developing world is complex and challenging. No single player can be successful, so alliances are essential. In Africa for example, several conditions make it difficult to achieve real progress. It starts with good political governance ensuring a functioning education and health care system, clean water, sanitation and food supply. I believe that in order to make a meaningful and sustainable impact, industry, organizations, governments, and private philanthropy must join forces.

While I believe that the primary responsibility lies with local governments, increased funding and improved access to medicines are also critical components to success. In accepting the responsibility for making a contribution I believe that we all can make a real difference in the lives of the most disadvantaged people.

What can business do to move from fighting to winning against these epidemics?

One has to make a difference between prevention and treatment. Education is important for both aspects. Eradication of the vector, a mosquito, minimizing exposure, for example by using bed nets, and understanding the importance of early therapeutic intervention are all relevant equally for the population as for the healthcare providers.

At Novartis, we have been working with the WHO since 2002 to distribute our malaria medication, Coartem, which combines traditional Chinese medicine with Lumefantrine, a pharmaceutical which achieves cure rates of over 95 percent in patients within a few days. Through our partnership with the WHO, Novartis has provided more than 160 million treatments of Coartem without profit to those most in need.

In Tigray, Ethiopia, Novartis partnered with several organizations, including the WHO and the Italian Ministry of Health, to provide education and free supplies of Coartem to help diagnose and treat malaria patients in need. 114 community healthcare workers were trained in treating malaria and over a two-year period more than 125,000 patients were treated. As a result, the mortality rate from malaria was decreased by more than 50 percent in the first year alone.

What are your highest priorities for action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria?

One of our highest priorities in the fight against malaria is ensuring that patients in need have access to the most effective medical treatments. Through our partnership with the WHO, we are working to further expand access to Coartem in malaria-endemic regions by reducing the price by 20 percent, which will increase access for millions of malaria patients, especially children in low-income regions of Africa.

With proper treatment and prevention methods, many lives can be saved. Malaria is a largely preventable and treatable disease. Some people have asked why we pursued developing a medicine which we do not profit from. From the beginning we were aware that we could make a contribution probably nobody else could make. It is this knowledge that motivates our actions and inspires us to continue to be involved.

» Malaria Action: Learn more about Novartis and other Coalition members' World Malaria Day efforts