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  * Significant milestone in bringing pandemic influenza vaccines to
    market in Europe

  * Novartis delivers first shipments of A(H1N1) vaccine to
    governments in Europe just three months after the WHO declaration
    of the pandemic

  * Focetria formulated with MF59® adjuvant which can boost the
    body's immune response and increase protective antibody levels
    with less antigen than needed with non-adjuvanted vaccines


Basel, September 25, 2009 - Novartis announced today that Focetria®,
the Novartis Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, has received
a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for
Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The
positive opinion clears the way for European Union approval in all 27
Member States as well as in Iceland and Norway. Today's announcement
marks a significant milestone in bringing a pandemic vaccine to
market in Europe.

Focetria, the Novartis Influenza  A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine  is
an  inactivated  influenza   virus  vaccine   indicated  for   active
immunization of  persons  of six  months  of age  and  older  against
influenza disease  caused by  the  novel pandemic  A(H1N1)  influenza
virus. The  pandemic vaccine  has  been developed  using  traditional
influenza  manufacturing  processes  in  an  egg-based   formulation.
Focetria contains  MF59®, Novartis  proprietary adjuvant,  which  has
been added to boost the immune response in individuals receiving  the
vaccine. MF59  can elicit  protective antibody  levels with  a  lower
dose, just 7.5 micrograms  of viral antigen  versus 15 micrograms  in
non-adjuvanted vaccines,  potentially  resulting in  greater  vaccine
supply.

Novartis has already  started first deliveries  of pandemic  vaccines
under quarantine to governments in Europe, despite the initially  low
yields with the current production seed strain provided by the  World
Health Organization (WHO).  A new  seed strain  could provide  higher
volumes.

"Only three months after the declaration of the pandemic by the  WHO,
Novartis was able to ship the  first batches of our pandemic  vaccine
under quarantine to governments in Europe pending EU approval,"  said
Andrin Oswald, CEO of Novartis  Vaccines and Diagnostics. "This  CHMP
positive opinion  paves the  way for  EU approval,  which will  allow
governments to begin  their vaccination  campaigns with  the goal  of
reaching more  patients before  the rapidly  spreading virus  reaches
them. Several recent clinical  trials suggest that  just one dose  of
pandemic vaccine can protect healthy adults, which means that now the
vaccine can  be  provided to  more  people  than if  two  doses  were
needed."

Focetria was previously approved by the  EU in May 2007 as a  mock-up
file to  be used  once the  WHO declared  a pandemic.  This  previous
approval was based  on clinical studies  involving the MF59  adjuvant
and different influenza  strains with  pandemic potential,  including
H5N1 and H9N2.

Novartis also  plans  to  begin delivery  of  its  Fluvirin®  A(H1N1)
monovalent vaccine to the US market by early October. The US Food and
Drug Administration approved this vaccine on September 15, 2009. Data
derived from recent  clinical trials of  Fluvirin conducted in  Costa
Rica indicate  that  a  single-dose  regimen is  as  effective  as  a
two-dose regime in healthy adults ages 18-64 suggesting the potential
to extend A(H1N1)  vaccine supply  further to  support public  health
efforts. The trial was conducted in 784 healthy adults.

About MF59®
Novartis proprietary MF59 adjuvant has an established safety profile,
supported by more than 12 years of clinical safety data and more than
40 million doses of commercial use  in Europe. The adjuvant has  been
studied  in  clinical  trials  involving  more  than  26,000  people,
including children, and has been licensed for use in people 65  years
of age and over in the seasonal influenza vaccine, Fluad®, since 1997
in the European Union. Fluad is not licensed for sale in the U.S.

Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be
identified by terminology such as "can," "potentially," "could,"
"will," "suggest," "potential," "plans," "suggesting," or similar
expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential
marketing approvals for Novartis' A(H1N1) vaccines, potential
production timing and volumes for such vaccines or regarding
potential future revenues from such vaccines. You should not place
undue reliance on these statements.  Such forward-looking statements
reflect the current views of management regarding future events, and
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
may cause actual results to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. There can be no guarantee that A(H1N1) vaccines will be
approved for sale in any market. Nor can there be any guarantee that
A(H1N1) vaccines will be produced by any particular date, or in any
particular volumes. Nor can there be any guarantee that A(H1N1)
vaccines will achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future.
In particular, management's expectations regarding A(H1N1) vaccines
could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory
actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected
manufacturing difficulties or delays, including unexpected
difficulties with our flu cell culture manufacturing facility and
processes; unexpected clinical trial results, including unexpected
new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing
clinical data; the company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or
other proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in
general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures;
the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values
attributed to the Novartis Group's assets and liabilities as recorded
in the Group's consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and
factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with
the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from
those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is
providing the information in this press release as of this date and
does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis
Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics is  a division of Novartis  focused
on the development  of preventive  treatments. The  division has  two
businesses: Novartis  Vaccines  and  Novartis  Diagnostics.  Novartis
Vaccines is  the  world's  fifth-largest  vaccines  manufacturer  and
second-largest supplier of  flu vaccines  in the  US. The  division's
products also include meningococcal,  pediatric and travel  vaccines.
Novartis Diagnostics prevents  the spread of  infections through  the
development and  marketing  of innovative  technologies  that  enable
early detection of pathogens to protect the world's blood supply  and
prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Novartis provides  healthcare  solutions that  address  the  evolving
needs of  patients  and  societies.  Focused  solely  on  healthcare,
Novartis offers a  diversified portfolio  to best  meet these  needs:
innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive
vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis  is
the only company with  leading positions in each  of these areas.  In
2008, the Group's  continuing operations  achieved net  sales of  USD
41.5 billion and net income of USD 8.2 billion. Approximately USD 7.2
billion  was  invested  in  R&D  activities  throughout  the   Group.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies  employ
approximately 99,000 full-time-equivalent  associates and operate  in
more than  140  countries around  the  world. For  more  information,
please visit http://www.novartis.com.

                                # # #

Novartis Media Relations


Central media line : +41 61 324 2200

Eric Althoff                         Paul Newman
Novartis Global Media Relations      Novartis Vaccines and
+41 61 324 7999 (direct)             Diagnostics
+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)             +1 (617) 871 7931 (direct)
eric.althoff@novartis.com            +1 (617) 710 8953 (mobile)
                                     paulc.newman@novartis.com
email: media.relations@novartis.com



Novartis Investor Relations


Central phone:        +41 61 324 7944
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                                                             830 2433
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                                                             830 2445
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e-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com


 
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Novartis International AG
Posfach Basel 

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