Basel, 11 February 2004 - Novartis announced today the launch of the Spanish-language version of its global website. Novartis.com in Spanish is designed to serve the nearly half a billion Spanish-speakers worldwide. In addition to the latest company information, investor news, media resources, job openings, and Novartis' commitment to corporate citizenship, the website includes a 22 000 page health encyclopedia on common diseases and conditions, symptoms, and nutrition.
The new Spanish website can be accessed at http://www.novartis.com/espanol.
"Novartis recognizes the need for a culturally and linguistically appropriate online channel for Spanish-speakers, and the Spanish version of the Novartis website illustrates our company's commitment to educating our customers and clients in diverse settings," said Dr. Luis Villalba, Latin America Corporate Regional Director of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
Spanish-speakers are one of the fastest growing groups of online users. Today, there are approximately 47 million Spanish-speakers online worldwide, and their growth has outpaced other language groups. For example, Internet usage in Latin America soared to 21 million users in 2003 from 6.2 million in 1999, a growth of 240% in this time period¹. In Spain, there are currently 14 million online users, an increase of 160 percent between 2000 and 2003². In the US, about 12.4 million Hispanics are online, half of which prefer to browse in Spanish³. This represents a growth of 20 percent per year. In addition, whilst there is a growing prevalence of conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity among Spanish speakers worldwide, the quality of health information on Spanish-language sites continues to be sparse and less accurate than English-language sites5.
Novartis believes it is important that its Spanish-speaking clients and their caregivers have easier access to the latest advances in health information, as well as to up-to-date news about the company, in their native language.
Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 2003, the Group's businesses achieved sales of USD 24.9 billion and a net income of USD 5.0 billion. The Group invested approximately USD 3.8 billion in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 78 500 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information please consult http://www.novartis.com and http://www.novartis.com/espanol.
# # #
References
1. Pegasus Research International. Latin American web users. Available at: http://www.pegasusresearch.net/metrics/growthla.htm
2. Internet World Stats. The top 25 countries with the highest number of Internet users. Available at: http://www.internetworldstats.com/top25.htm
3. comScore Media Metrix. Hispanic online users in U.S. exceed total online population of many major Spanish-speaking nations. Available at: http://www.comscore.com/metrix/hs.asp
4. Morrissey, B. Univision online reports ad surge. Available at: http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/1573651
4. RAND Health. Proceed With Caution: A Report on the Quality of Health Information on the Internet. California HealthCare Foundation, 2001:4.
