Novartis wins citizenship award from Malaria No More

Novartis has been given an award by charity group Malaria No More in recognition of its ongoing contributions to malaria control and elimination.

The company has been presented with a global corporate citizenship award at the Malaria No More International Honors annual benefit, during which US politician Hillary Clinton and Time Warner marketing boss Gary Ginsberg also received accolades.

Since 2001, Novartis has delivered more than 600 million antimalarial treatments to malaria-endemic countries across Africa without receiving any profit, while also investing in various partnerships to maximise the impact of its efforts.

For example, it collaborated with the Medicines for Malaria Venture to create a sweet-tasting dispersible artemisinin-based combination therapy for infants and children, which was released in 2009.

Dr Linus Igwemezie, head of the Novartis Malaria Initiative, said: "We are committed to improving access to treatment, helping communities deliver better healthcare and investing in research and development into the next generation of antimalarials."

This comes after the firm was named as one of the Top 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute last month.