- Novartis continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in Philippines.
- Company priorities are to protect the health and safety of associates and healthcare professionals, and to ensure medicines supply.
Makati City, March 20, 2020 – Novartis continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines. Our focus is to protect the health and safety of our associates, the healthcare professionals we engage with daily, and to ensure the supply of our medicines.
Currently, we do not anticipate any supply chain disruption. We expect that our existing stocks of medicines are sufficient to cover distribution needs for the time being.
From March 12 until further notice from government, face-to-face engagements of our medical representatives with healthcare professionals are suspended. We are making these changes to protect the health of our communities, including healthcare professionals and the patients we serve. The company has also stepped up the utilization of digital engagement tools to support internal collaboration as well as outreach to healthcare professionals and customers. The only exception are essential engagements that ensure continuity of supply of our medicines.
Hospitalized associates with confirmed COVID-19 or identified as “persons under investigation” (PUIs) awaiting confirmatory testing whose first-layer Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) coverage have been consumed will be provided with the company's enhanced hospitalization assistance. To support associates in following infection control precautions, the company is providing a reasonable reimbursement package for the purchase of basic hygiene items and personal protective equipment. Associates are provided with regular updates and advisories to help them and their family cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 750 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 105,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com.
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