Resilience rules

Published on 11/04/2023

Dear Readers,

Today’s pace of change is breathtaking. Within the space of a few years, the world has seen the emergence of disruptive technologies and gone through crippling global crises which have changed fundamental aspects of our political, social, economic and private lives. What was true once, has been radically called into question.

Many of these changes are difficult to embrace. And, worse, some transformational shifts look hard to resolve. The war in Ukraine, the persistent trade tensions between the United States and China and the increasingly belligerent culture wars that pit competing social fractions against each other seem far from being resolved.

As a company, as well as on a personal level, one way to cope with the existing challenges is to stay resilient. This means adjusting to change, facing barriers head-on and working towards finding solutions to overcome current difficulties. This requires a realistic mindset as well as the ability to nurture an optimistic, future-oriented attitude even if the situation is tough.

Novartis and its predecessor companies have gone through many difficult times during their long history. Despite two World Wars, the Great Depression and also the most recent coronavirus pandemic, the company has managed to remain focused on its North Star and live up to its mission – thus not only navigating through long crisis periods but emerging stronger from them.

This ability to adapt quickly to novel circumstances is also reflected in our willingness to embrace disruptive technologies. Over the past few years, for example, we have made major progress in the data and digital field with a view to creating a more efficient organization, simplifying production and engaging better with customers and patients.

We have also extended our reach in the past few years to new scientific fields in areas such as cell and gene therapies, nuclear medicine and RNA-based drugs. While we are fully aware that some of these efforts may fail, our long experience has taught us that taking carefully considered risks is the only way to drive medical innovation forward.

As this issue of live magazine shows, which is the second of our three-part series on our key strategic priorities, we are set to remain on this path and drive innovation on all fronts, be it in our research labs or our production facilities around the world. This includes both our commitment to drive research and our continual efforts to improve our operational efficiency by tapping into cutting-edge technology.

Reflecting this strategic approach, three of our main stories are dedicated to our new research facility Banting 1 on the Basel Campus, which is focused on medicinal chemistry. Banting 1 not only brings together teams which have been dispersed across various sites in the past, the building also sports a new communications and transport system to speed up drug discovery.

Our efforts in the gene therapy space are likewise gaining traction. This is true both of our research efforts and of our manufacturing activities. While gene therapy is only at its early stage, we are fully committed to evolving this therapeutic approach, which offers so many great benefits for patients.

Another key aspect in this issue revolves around the importance of teamwork, which we have continually stressed over the past few years. We are all aware that our innovative strength resides not only in the individual talents, but also in our ability to leverage the skills and know-how of entire teams to work together in the most efficient way. Hence, collaboration continues to be writ large as Novartis carves its path into the future.

Our willingness to face up to change and even go beyond it by becoming a change driver ourselves has the sole purpose of keeping us at the forefront of scientific innovation. It is a hallmark of Novartis that has helped the company develop solutions for some of the toughest healthcare challenges of our time.

Even as the economic, social and political situation around the globe is set to remain volatile, Novartis will remain resolute in its mission and continue to develop medicines to improve and extend the lives of patients around the world. It is a guiding light, which gives us purpose and keeps us resilient even in challenging times.