Novartis appoints Timothy Wright, M.D. as Global Head, Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Basel, November 9, 2011 - Novartis announced the appointment of Timothy Wright, M.D. as Global Head, Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals effective immediately.

Dr Wright joined Novartis in 2004 and most recently served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Translational Sciences at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). His group included Translational Medicine, Biomarker Development, Preclinical Safety (toxicology), and Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics. Previously, he worked for Pfizer Global Research and Development as the Exploratory Therapy Area Leader for Inflammation. He also served as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology and an endowed professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr Wright received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Delaware and a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements including express or implied discussions regarding the potential impact of Dr. Wright's leadership on Novartis pharmaceuticals development. 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 any particular results will be achieved under Dr. Wright's leadership. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected clinical trial results; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, 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 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 2010, the Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 50.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.1 billion (USD 8.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges) was invested in R&D throughout the Group. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com/.

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