New York, May 3, 2013 - The Business Call to Action (BCtA) is pleased to announce that Swiss-based healthcare leader Novartis has joined BCtA with a commitment to further expand their rural healthcare programme in India, which has already reached more than 40 million people.

Recognizing that poverty and poor health are often linked, Novartis has developed the Arogya Parivar (healthy family) programme, which aims to empower communities to make better healthcare decisions and expand access to health education and affordable drugs.

Over six years, Arogya Parivar has helped create more than 500 jobs and has built skills and capacity among hundreds of business partners, suppliers, and customers, including healthcare professionals in India. Its impact translates to providing 42 million people with improved access to healthcare across an estimated 33,000 villages. According to the company, 50,000 doctors and pharmacies have also received medical knowledge transfer.

Novartis's commitment to the Business Call to Action reinforces the inclusive business model with its focus on strong linkages with distribution networks, addressing the evolving needs of consumers and partnering with local health workers to connect with communities, Sahba Sobhani, BCtA Acting Programme Manager, said. It ensures a greater awareness of healthcare products and services to address hurdles and misperceptions in education and provision of healthcare.

BCtA is supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other international organizations.

We are pleased to become a member of Business Call to Action and look forward to expanding our work to enhance access to healthcare and health education for people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid, said Anuj Pasrija, Head of Social Business at Novartis.

All products and health information are translated into seven languages. The programme currently focuses on four pillars: awareness, acceptability, availability, and adaptability.

Arogya Parivar and social business are a key part of the Novartis commitment to access to healthcare. The company is pioneering new business approaches to sustainably deliver healthcare to more people, particularly in the developing world. Beyond social business initiatives, Novartis focuses on finding new treatments and eliminating diseases including leprosy and malaria.

For More Information:

BCtA: Karen Newman, karen.newman@undp.org +1 212 906 5194

Novartis: corporate.responsibility@novartis.com, www.novartis.com/corporate-responsibility

Business Call to Action is a global initiative that challenges companies to develop inclusive business models that offer the potential for development impact along with commercial success. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, UK Department for International Development, US Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Clinton Global Initiative to meet the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Companies report on progress toward commitments on an annual basis. To learn more, please visit www.businesscalltoaction.org or join the conversation on Twitter at @BCtAInitiative.

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2012, the Group achieved net sales of USD 56.7 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.3 billion (USD 9.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 128,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com or join the conversation on Twitter at @Novartis.