Marburg, June 20 2008 - Dr. Joerg Reinhardt, CEO of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, and Hesse’s Secretary for Economic Affairs, Dr. Alois Rhiel, broke ground together with other representatives of industry and politics today for a €145 million investment project. This symbolic act launched the building operations for the Novartis MARS project.

MARS stands for MARburg Site development. Novartis Vaccines will invest €145 million under the MARS project in Marburg, Germany into a new facility for rabies and TBE (tick borne encephalitis) vaccines and a new quality control building. Completion of the production facility is scheduled for the end of 2010, with commissioning following regulatory approvals planned for the first quarter of 2011.

“The need for rabies and TBE vaccines has been on a continuous rise worldwide. This is why we are building new production facilities now to be able to provide these life-saving vaccines for the long term,” said Reinhardt.

Reinhardt continued: “Novartis Vaccines is investing in its vaccine business to increase its leadership position in the global vaccine market over the course of the next five years. The €145 million invested in Germany is among the largest amount spent by Novartis Vaccines on a single project.”

“This groundbreaking also symbolizes Hesse’s position as a center of science, economy, and technology. Hesse has a lot to offer to investors such as Novartis: Including, for instance, an excellent transportation infrastructure with direct connections to Frankfurt Airport,” as Dr. Alois Rhiel, Hesse’s Minister for Economic Affairs, pointed out in his speech.

MARS represents one of the largest investments by a pharmaceutical company in Germany and, in Hesse – it is one of the largest investments made in the pharmaceutical market since 2003.

“Novartis’ investment is an important decision for the future of Marburg as a university city and a great support for this location,” said Mayor Egon Vaupel.
 
“Novartis Vaccines was able to get the investment to Marburg for two reasons: Because of the know-how on site in Germany and because of the excellent infrastructure offered by the city and the federal state,” said Dr. Markus Leyck Dieken, Managing Director of Novartis Vaccines in Germany. “The new site will employ a total of 300 people, of which 60 will be new positions created in Marburg.” Novartis Vaccines currently has about 1,200 employees in Marburg.

 

About Novartis
Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics is a division of Novartis focused on the development of preventive treatments. The division has two businesses: Novartis Vaccines and Chiron. Novartis Vaccines is the world's fifth-largest vaccines manufacturer and second-largest supplier of flu vaccines in the US. The division's products also include meningococcal, pediatric and travel vaccines. Chiron, the blood testing and molecular diagnostics business, is dedicated to preventing the spread of infectious diseases through the development of novel blood-screening tools that protect the world's blood supply.

Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on growth areas in healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2007, the Group’s continuing operations (excluding divestments in 2007) achieved net sales of USD 38.1 billion and net income of USD 6.5 billion. Approximately USD 6.4 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 98,000 full-time associates and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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Novartis Media Relations

Eric Althoff Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics +1 (617) 871 7931 (direct) +1 (617) 899 8936 (mobile) nvd.communications@novartis.com

 

 

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