Sandoz Canada makes strong progress in supply of critical medicines

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, May 16, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Sandoz Canada continues to make strong progress in its efforts to maintain a reliable supply of essential medicines following the temporary slow-down in production announced at its Boucherville plant earlier this year.

While Sandoz continues to work on site remediation efforts and strengthen manufacturing compliance at the Boucherville site, production output has been optimized, allowing Sandoz to meet the vast majority of Canadian market needs for its entire injectable portfolio. At present, Sandoz Canada is supplying more than 80% of market needs for its entire injectable portfolio, and more than 90% for the products currently in production.

In mid-February, Sandoz introduced an allocation system based on 2011 demand which ensures that each customer receives a fair share of available medicines. Further improvements in output are expected which should increase allocation levels for all products in production to at least 100% of forecasted market needs by November 2012. Sandoz will nevertheless maintain its allocation system through the first quarter of 2013, in order to avoid unnecessary stockpiling and potential backorders.

"I am very proud of our team's unwavering commitment to patients. Since the beginning of the year, we have worked day and night to meet medical needs, and have partnered with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, as well as with provincial governments and Health Canada, to optimally manage the supply situation," said Sandoz Canada President and General Manager, Michel Robidoux. "We have provided on-going transparency on our supply status, optimized production for most medically necessary products, and continue to explore all available options to ensure we meet demand as best we can."

Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "continues", "temporary", "expected" or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding the potential length of the temporary slow-down in production of our Boucherville, QC production facility, regarding the potential for any further regulatory actions at the Boucherville, QC production facility, regarding the potential for any investments in strengthening production processes arising at the Boucherville, QC production site, or regarding the potential financial impact of the Boucherville, QC facility temporary slow-down in production. 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 our Boucherville, QC production facility will resume its normal capacity of production at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that actions described in this release will be the only actions required at the Boucherville, QC facility. Nor can there be any guarantee as to the potential financial impact on Novartis resulting from the temporary slow-down in production at the Boucherville, QC, production facility. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings, and the uncertain outcome of any such litigation; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; unexpected manufacturing difficulties or delays; unexpected product manufacturing issues, including the potential outcome of the Warning Letter issued to three Sandoz manufacturing facilities; 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. Sandoz 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 Sandoz Canada Inc.
Established in Boucherville, Quebec, Sandoz Canada is part of Sandoz International GmbH, the world's second largest producer of generic drugs and a subsidiary of the Swiss multinational corporation, Novartis. A leader in its field, Sandoz Canada develops, produces, markets and distributes a wide range of generic products used, among others, in anaesthesia, infectious diseases, oncology, cardiology, and pain management. The Boucherville manufacturing plant specializes in the production of key injectable products.

For further information:

Marija Mandic
Sandoz Global Media Relations
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Philippe Gagnon
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