May 27, 2022
  • Dr. Boumediene Soufi, global head of Sandoz AMR (antimicrobial resistance) program, to represent Sandoz as Board member of AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA)
  • The Alliance brings together about 100 life science companies / associations in search of sustainable solutions to curb AMR
  • Sandoz, as largest global provider of generic antibiotics1, is committed to a pragmatic and balanced approach to address this growing global health threat

Basel, May 27, 2020 — Sandoz is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Boumediene Soufi, global head of the Sandoz Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) program, as its new representative to the Board of the AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA).

The Alliance is a coalition of approximately 100 biotechnology, diagnostic, generic and research-based biopharmaceutical companies and trade associations, formed to drive and measure industry progress towards curbing AMR.

Dr. Soufi, who was appointed to lead the Sandoz AMR program earlier this year, assumes the AMRIA role, representing companies in the generics industry section, with immediate effect.

He replaces Dominic De Souza, who will now dedicate himself fulltime to his role as Head Product Transformation, Global B2B. Sandoz would like to express its sincere thanks to Dr. De Souza for his committed efforts over the last few years.

Dr. Soufi said: “I am very humbled, honored and proud to join the Alliance Board and look forward to working with my colleagues across the industry to ensure a pragmatic and balanced approach to tackling this unprecedented global health threat, which is now estimated to be directly responsible for nearly 1.3 million deaths every year – as many as malaria and HIV combined.”

“Antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine, treating previously incurable diseases and drastically reducing the risks of everyday medical procedures including surgery and chemotherapy. AMR, if allowed to spread unchecked, could spell the end of modern medicine. But we have a real opportunity to stop that happening – if we act together now.”

Dr. Soufi joined Sandoz in 2015 and has held progressively senior positions focusing on sustainable efficiency, digital innovation and leading the entire end-to end Sandoz anti-infectives portfolio / pipeline. He is a biotechnologist by training, specializing in the field of microbial quantitative proteomics.

Sandoz is the largest global provider of generic antibiotics1 and the only remaining company with a major end-to-end antibiotics supply chain based in Europe (primarily Kundl, Austria), covering all production steps from active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to Finished Dosage Forms (FDF) for many leading antibiotics.

Disclaimer
This media update 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 media update, 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 media update 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 media update as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this media update 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 need. Our ambition is to be the world’s leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2019 sales of USD 9.7 billion.

Sandoz on social media
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CEO Richard Saynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-saynor/

Interview on AMR with Richard Saynor and Lutz Hegemann of Novartis Global Health:
Opinion: 4 steps to stay ahead of antimicrobial resistance | Devex

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References

  1. Source IQVIA PADDS Feb 2022

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