Healthcare Special: Novartis readies new $1 billion R&D center

On his recent first visit to China, Novartis Oncology President Herve Hoppenot visited the company's new R&D center in Shanghai, which the Swiss pharmaceutical giant says will be the largest of its kind in China.

Novartis announced the $1 billion center last year.

"The main tasks of the Shanghai R&D center include basic research and new medicine development, and we are going to complete the whole R&D process in China," Hoppenot said.

The company will start its development of new medicines by identifying needs, then develop treatments and carry out clinical trials.

When complete, the Shanghai center will be Novartis's third-largest in the world following its Basel center in Switzerland and one in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States.

The China site will provide about 1,000 high-quality jobs, the company said.

China's needs will drive research at the Shanghai R&D center to target prevalent diseases, according to Alessandro Riva, head of global oncology development at the company.

Lung cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer continue to increase in China, so global pharmaceutical companies are now focusing on fundamental and clinical research on those cancers in China.

The Novartis Shanghai R&D Center has co-founded a laboratory with Fudan University to provide strong research.

Hoppenot said in-depth cooperation with domestic research institutions will be further encouraged.

"We are ready to share the Novartis' platform of medicine R&D and decades-long experience in medicine development," he said.

Global pharmaceutical research centers, well-established R&D processes for medicine and emerging development concepts are now gaining ground in China, enabling ordinary residents to receive benefits from clinic research and medicines, according to Hoppenot.

He said that Chinese people now are in urgent need of medicine and healthcare.

Novartis Oncology provides free drugs along with partners in government's charity organizations and other sponsors.

The company also works with non-governmental organizations, research institutions, doctors and healthcare providers to provide the best cancer treatment to the patients.

By the end of 2009, Novartis had spent $1.5 billion to provide free drugs to 79.5 million patients worldwide.

Novartis has worked with the China Charity Federation since 2003 to help 13,600 cancer patients receive treatment.

(China Daily 11/19/2010 page16)