Geneva Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Novartis company and one of the leading generic pharmaceutical companies in the US, announced it would be conducting its operations under the company name Sandoz, Inc., effective December 1, 2003. This company name change is part of a worldwide initiative by Novartis, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, to unite its generics operations previously referred to as Novartis Generics under a single common name, Sandoz. The global launch of the Sandoz name took place May 21, 2003, in Vienna, Austria, the location of Sandoz Global Headquarters.

John Sedor, president and CEO of Sandoz, Inc., in the US, stated, "All of Novartis's generics companies sharing one common name will emphasize and strengthen our global network. We have the ability to obtain products more efficiently and leverage each other's strengths to best serve the needs of our customers, and ultimately our patients. Also, we're delighted to become Sandoz, a name with tremendous history and a solid reputation in the industry. It reinforces Novartis's commitment to the generics business."

Christian Seiwald, CEO of Sandoz GmbH, commented, "Over the last few years, Novartis Generics has grown extremely dynamically and has undertaken a series of strategic acquisitions. While we are currently the world's second- biggest generics group, we are not recognized as such due to the large number of different company names. The establishment of a uniform identity represents a milestone in our strategy for strengthening and harmonizing our international business."

In Seiwald's view, the Sandoz name reinforces the company's reputation for high quality and innovation, and provides the additional bonus of a company tradition going back more than a century. "We want Sandoz to become the undisputed No. 1 global name for generic pharmaceutical products," he said. Sandoz, established in Basel, Switzerland, in 1886, was an international, branded pharmaceutical company up until the merger with Ciba Geigy in 1996, which formed Novartis. The renaming of Novartis Generics now marks the return of this time-honored name. Sandoz, a Novartis company, is a world leader in generic pharmaceuticals and develops, manufactures and markets these medicines as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active ingredients.

Decades of experience and know-how make Sandoz a renowned partner in Pharmaceuticals, Biopharmaceuticals and Industrial Products. Altogether, Sandoz employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 1.8 billion in 2002. In the US, Sandoz, Inc., is one of the largest prescription generic pharmaceutical companies. The company produces more than 200 products each year, with an annual manufacturing capability exceeding 10 billion tablets and capsules. Sandoz products range across many therapeutic drug categories including anti-infectives, anti-arthritics, cardiovasculars, gastrointestinal agents and psychotherapeutics.