Novartis Malaysia Recognized as ‘Sponsor of the Year’

• Novartis Malaysia won ‘Sponsor of the Year’ in the annual Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) Sponsored Research Awards for contributing the highest number of new studies in 2022 and having one of the highest cumulative study value in 2022

• The award was presented by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa

• Novartis Malaysia strengthens the country’s healthcare system, particularly in the area of clinical research and trials

Petaling Jaya, June 6, 2023 – Novartis Malaysia has been awarded ‘Sponsor of the Year’ in the annual Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) Sponsored Research Awards for its outstanding contribution to Malaysia’s clinical research ecosystem. 

Novartis Malaysia won the award for contributing the highest number of new studies in 2022. This is the fourth year running that the company has led as top sponsor of new studies.

In 2022, Novartis Malaysia invested in 24 new clinical trials (CT) in cardio-metabolic, breast cancer, spinal muscular atrophy, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, and ophthalmology. About 209 local patients were enrolled in these.

In the same year, the company invested approximately RM53.56 million in 79 ongoing studies, which amounts to over 25% of the total study value in Malaysia. 

Mohamed Elwakil, Country President of Novartis Malaysia, said:  

“We are honored to have been awarded ‘Sponsor of the Year’ by CRM, a Site Management Organization owned by the Ministry of Health. This recognition further validates our commitment to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives.” 

“Novartis Malaysia has been supportive in strengthening the country’s health care, particularly in the area of clinical research and trials. We are glad to be associated with the government’s initiative in enhancing local capabilities, improving clinical trial quality, and increasing access to transformative treatment in the country.”

“Moving forward, we will continuously grow our engagement with the government and support in strengthening the healthcare system through clinical research and the smart use of digital and technological innovations that apply Real World Evidence (RWE) to guide solutions that can improve patient journeys.”

Dr Akhmal Yusof, Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Research Malaysia, said:

“CRM acknowledges the contribution of Novartis as Top Sponsor for the Year 2022 through the high number and contract value of clinical trials that the organization has brought into the country.”

“The conduct of various therapeutic clinical trials initiated by Novartis addresses the unmet medical needs of our patients, providing early access to innovative treatment and improve the health outcome of patients in clinical trials.”

“Malaysia’s value proposition as a clinical trial destination of choice is attributed to highly committed clinical investigators, strong regulatory oversight, delivery of good quality clinical trial data and a streamlined process of conducting clinical trials in the country.”

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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 nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 108,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com. 

About Novartis Malaysia

Novartis Malaysia has been present in Malaysia since 1971. Following the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy, Novartis was formed in 1996. In 2015, Kuala Lumpur was chosen as one of the six Novartis Corporate Centers, which delivers a broad variety of services to the Novartis group of companies worldwide. Services offered by the Kuala Lumpur team include IT, People & Organization services, FRA Operations, Procurement Services, Real Estate & Facilities Services and CONEXTS Services which includes scientific and commercial services. In 2021, Novartis was ranked the top contributor by the Clinical Research Malaysia in sponsored research with 16 research projects, leading the market of other healthcare players in this sponsored research space.