Novartis Teams Up with Parkinson's Disease Groups to Launch New Resource for the 1.5 Million People Living with Parkinson's Dis

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Novartis Teams Up with Parkinson's Disease Groups to Launch New Resource for 
the 1.5 Million People Living with
Parkinson's Disease
Wednesday May 12, 9:00 am ET
Free kit provides information and exercise video designed for people with 
Parkinson's disease

EAST HANOVER, N.J., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation 
has announced the availability of a
new, free-of-charge information and resource kit designed to help educate 
people living with Parkinson's disease and
their families, friends and caregivers. "Managing Parkinson's Disease" was 
developed in consultation with the American
Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), 
the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF)
and the Parkinson Alliance (PA), with full sponsorship provided by Novartis 
Pharmaceuticals Corporation as part of its
StEP (STalevo Educational Programs) initiative. To obtain a free kit, call 
toll-free 1-866-STEP-KIT (1-866-783-7548),
or visit www.stepkit.net.

"Managing Parkinson's Disease" offers people with Parkinson's disease and those 
who care for them a wide array of
information and resources, including information about lifestyle changes -- 
such as diet and exercise -- that might be
beneficial, as well as available medical treatments. The kit also includes 
information about how to recognize common
challenges in Parkinson's disease, such as the "wearing-off" of medications, 
which may call for treatment adjustments.

"With this kit, we hope to educate patients and caregivers about ways to manage 
the effects of Parkinson's disease,"
said Rajesh Pahwa, M.D., Director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement 
Disorder Center at the University of Kansas
Medical Center. "Fortunately for patients, the latest medication advances for 
Parkinson's disease may help people gain
better control over symptoms like shaking and stiffness and also may improve 
their ability to write and walk."

    The kit includes:
    -- "Living with Parkinson's Disease," an overview that includes treatment
       options and lifestyle changes that can help people with Parkinson's
       disease better manage their condition;
    -- "Coping with Parkinson's Disease," a brochure for those who care for
       people with Parkinson's disease;
    -- "Taking Control," a guide created to help people with Parkinson's
       disease and their caregivers recognize the signs and symptoms
       associated with "wearing-off;"
    -- A glossary of key terms to help people living with Parkinson's disease
       better communicate with their doctors and other members of their
       healthcare teams; and
    -- "StEP Into Movement and Flexibility," a 30-minute exercise video
       specially created for people with Parkinson's that features movements
       to help enhance flexibility, stability and mobility.

Parkinson's Disease: Treatment Advances

Parkinson's disease, a chronic and progressive neurological condition, affects 
approximately 1.5 million Americans.
While its cause is unknown, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease are primarily 
the result of degeneration of areas of
the brain that control and modulate movement. Symptoms include limbs that 
tremble; slowness of movement; stiffness and
rigidity of limbs and gait or balance problems. As the disease progresses, 
these symptoms usually increase and impact a
person's ability to work and function. While there is no cure for Parkinson's 
disease, many effective medications are
now available to treat its symptoms.

The most widely used agent to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease is a 
drug called levodopa, which has remained
the cornerstone of therapy for people with Parkinson's for nearly 40 years. 
However, the effects of levodopa tend to
diminish over time and people can often experience a re-emergence of their 
symptoms before their next dose.

"It is important for people taking levodopa medications to alert their doctor 
if they find that the effect of their
medication is not lasting until the next dose. This indicates that the 
medication may be 'wearing-off' and needs to be
adjusted for better control of symptoms," explained Dr. Pahwa. "Newer drugs 
like Stalevo that provide levodopa in
combination with other agents can help to extend its benefits in order to 
control symptoms throughout more of the day."

Stalevo® (carbidopa, levodopa and entacapone) is a new form of levodopa therapy 
that targets end-of-dose "wearing-off"
by combining levodopa, the most widely used agent for treating Parkinson's 
disease, with carbidopa and entacapone.
While carbidopa reduces the side effects of levodopa, entacapone extends its 
benefits, permitting Parkinson's disease
patients to have an improved ability to perform everyday tasks, as well as a 
reduction in symptoms associated with the
disease. Stalevo simplifies treatment for many patients by providing three 
medications in one tablet, which reduces the
number of tablets that patients need to take daily.

The effectiveness of levodopa administered with carbidopa and entacapone in the 
treatment of Parkinson's disease was
demonstrated in three 24-week multicenter, randomized, double blind 
placebo-controlled trials in patients with
Parkinson's disease experiencing "wearing-off." In these trials, this 
combination increased "on" time (the period where
patients experience no symptoms), reduced "off" time (the period where the 
patients' symptoms return) and improved
motor function and daily activities such as patients' ability to walk and dress.

The most common side effects of Stalevo therapy are dopaminergic in nature 
(e.g. dyskinesia, nausea). These side
effects may be manageable with alteration in the drug dosing schedule. Other 
common side effects include diarrhea,
hyperkinesias, urine discoloration, hypokinesia, abdominal pain, dizziness, 
constipation, fatigue, pain and
hallucinations. For full prescribing information, visit  
or call 1-866-STALEVO (1-866- 782-5386).

Stalevo was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 
2003 and is marketed by Novartis
Pharmaceuticals Corporation and manufactured by Orion Pharma.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to Novartis 
Pharmaceuticals Corporation's business,
which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as 
"hope," "may," "can," or similar
expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such 
forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual 
results to be materially different from any
future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such 
statements. Commercialization can be affected
by, amongst other things, uncertainties relating to regulatory actions or 
delays or government regulation generally,
the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual 
property protection and competition in
general, as well as factors discussed in the Company's Form 20F filed with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should 
underlying assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, 
believed, estimated or expected.
Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and 
does not undertake any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a 
result of new information, future events or
otherwise.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation researches, develops, manufactures and 
markets leading innovative prescription
drugs used to treat a number of diseases and conditions, including central 
nervous system disorders, organ
transplantation, cardiovascular diseases, dermatological diseases, respiratory 
disorders, cancer and arthritis. The
company's mission is to improve people's lives by pioneering novel healthcare 
solutions.

Novartis has been a leader in the neuroscience area for more than 50 years, 
having pioneered early breakthrough
treatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, attention deficit/ 
hyperactivity disorder, Epilepsy,
Schizophrenia and migraine, many of which continue to be regarded as "gold 
standards" to this day. Novartis
Neuroscience continues to be at the forefront of research and development of 
new compounds, is committed to addressing
unmet medical needs and to supporting patients and families affected by these 
disorders.

Located in East Hanover, New Jersey, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an 
affiliate of Novartis AG. Novartis AG
(NYSE: NVS - News) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 
2003, the Group's businesses achieved
sales of USD 24.9 billion and a net income of USD 5.0 billion. The Group 
invested approximately USD 3.8 billion in R&D.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 
78,500 people and operate in over 140
countries around the world. For further information please consult 


For more information and for a copy of the complete prescribing information, 
please contact:

Media
Kate King, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Office: 862 778 5588

Fredda Malkoff, Feinstein Kean Healthcare
Office:  617 577 8110

Investor Relations
Jill Pozarek, Novartis Corporation
Office: 212 830 2445

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
One Health Plaza
East Hanover, NJ 07936

Source: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

SOURCE: Yahoo News (press release) - May 12, 2004


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