Novartis has launched three initiatives to close the healthcare gap in heart disease and cancer and is expanding its efforts with the goal of nearly tripling its footprint by 2030.
The three initiatives include the new Inclusive Health Accelerator (IHA) program; IHA, which launched this week in five U.S. cities, aims to support early detection of prostate and breast cancer and address care disparities for underserved populations. Novartis uses a community-driven IHA model to support access to education, free testing, diagnosis, and follow-up care.
Based in Basel, Novartis will offer the service in collaboration with local groups in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston and Baltimore. The initiative builds on existing partnerships in the U.S., including the Health Assessment and Rapid Transformation Program that Novartis launched last year.
Novartis announced a new IHA program along with expansions of two existing initiatives. The Swiss pharmaceutical company is expanding the rollout of its Community Health Initiative (CHI) to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and cancer in emerging countries.
Novartis piloted CHI in Vietnam. Novartis worked with governments to test 400,000 people in 18 months. The program has connected 35,000 people to community treatment. Hypertension and diabetes control rates improved during the program. Encouraged by the findings, Novartis established CHI in Rwanda and Bolivia and committed to implementing the program in at least seven additional countries by 2030.
Cardio4Cities, an initiative developed by the nonprofit Novartis Foundation, is also expanding to more countries. The Novartis Foundation has created a program to improve the prevention, detection and management of cardiometabolic diseases through data, artificial intelligence and partnerships. A pilot evaluation of the model, which included blood pressure testing in samba schools, reported improvements in heart health.
The program is being implemented in eight countries, including the United States, and Novartis plans to have Cardio4Cities operational in 30 major cities in 23 countries by 2030. By improving blood pressure control, this model can reduce the incidence of stroke and heart attack.
Novartis’ focus on cardiovascular disease, breast and prostate cancer is consistent with the company’s research and development pipeline and portfolio. Last year, heart failure drug Entresto and prostate cancer drug Pluvicto were among Novartis’ best-selling products (PDF).
