• Sandoz announced the launch of its portfolio of OTC products in the Egyptian market at the beginning of 2022

Cairo – Sandoz Egypt Pharma and Ibnsina Pharma have announced a distribution and promotion agreement for the Sandoz over-the-counter (OTC) portfolio of products, strengthening the company’s commitment to widening access to products, with the help of Ibnsina’s expansive nationwide network. The broad outlines of the agreement amplify both companies’ efforts to reach a higher number of underserved patients.

Sameh Elbagoury, General Manager at Sandoz Egypt and Libya, said: “OTC products are vital to advancing healthcare, and our partnership with a true market leader like Ibn Sina is an important step, catalyzing our ability on-ground to live up to our relentless commitment to improving access. Our OTC portfolio in Egypt currently spans eight products and we have concrete plans to expand, transforming it into one of our strategic pillars, alongside our generic and biosimilar drug portfolios.”

“By allowing people to recover from minor conditions like the common cold, allergies, minor pains and others, OTC products not only help people get back to enjoying their day-to-day lives faster, but they also help relieve the burden on the average citizen suffering from minimal symptoms, as well as on the healthcare system by aiding faster recovery and reducing the need for people to visit treatment facilities. In effect, OTC products are an indispensable part of the equation towards improved access to healthcare. Another important element of this partnership is knowledge-sharing and education, as it allows us to share the latest advances and scientific breakthroughs with pharmacist networks – the first and main point of contact for patients and consumers, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of the quest for science-driven health outcomes.” added El Bagoury.

Mahmoud Abdel Gawad, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ibnsina Pharma, said, “Our partnership with a recognized global leader like Sandoz is a testament that Ibnsina Pharma is the distributor of choice. The partnership will also boost our efforts to bring products to everyone in need, wherever they are. Ibnsina Pharma is the fastest-growing and second-largest pharmaceutical distributor in Egypt, with the capacity to efficiently deliver products to a large number of patients and consumers, leveraging innovative digital solutions to optimize performance.”  

“Our combined knowledge, expertise, and assets are definitive to helping us address coverage gaps across Egypt and achieving a breakthrough in access so that affordable, high-quality products are accessible and within easy reach. This agreement enables us to strengthen our position in the area of OTC products, helping us reach out to more pharmacists, and allowing us to optimize accessibility to non-prescription products for patients. We are proud of the network we have established which allows us to supply pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to more than 49,000 private and public-sector customers including pharmacies, hospitals, wholesalers, and health institutions, using a fleet of around 830 vehicles,” added Abdel Gawad.

Sandoz launched its OTC portfolio in Egypt in early 2022, offering non-prescription products covering a variety of therapeutic areas including gastrointestinal diseases, pain management, respiratory conditions and pediatric vitamins and supplements. While ultimately bolstering access to products and bringing value to the healthcare system, this partnership combines both companies’ unique expertise to advance pharmacists’ up-to-date knowledge and provide them with science-based information that allows them to strengthen value-based relationships with their customers.

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Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” “pipeline,” “launch,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that, if approved, such generic or biosimilar products will be approved for all indications included in the reference product’s label. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; competition in general, including potential approval of additional generic or biosimilar versions of such products; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; litigation outcomes, including intellectual property disputes or other legal efforts to prevent or limit Sandoz from selling its products; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 Sandoz

Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical needs. Our ambition is to be the world’s leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2021 sales of USD 9.6 billion.

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Contact Point
Rania Hassan
P&O Head – Assigned Communications
rania.hassan@sandoz.com
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