Novartis and IBM announce winners of NCD Challenge

Novartis has announced the winning innovations from the NCD Challenge, a global competition designed to find new methods for the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Sponsored by the pharmaceutical giant and IBM, the contest sought to identify solutions in two categories – one for developing nations and one for developed countries.

The winners were announced as the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and the ESADE Business School-Universidad Ramon Llull in Barcelona, Spain.

They will be recognised at this week's NCD Awards Ceremony at the IBM base in Armonk, New York and the Novartis headquarters at East Hanover, New Jersey.

"Innovation such as this is key to a global strategy to improve care and build a more sustainable healthcare system," said Katherine Holland, general manager of global life sciences at IBM.

According to data from the World Health Organization, NCDs such as heart disease, stroke, asthma and cancer contribute to more than 60 percent of deaths around the world.