<p>Novartis's Sandoz division will not make a profit on 15 generic drugs it is making available to developing countries to treat symptoms of Covid-19, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Novartis said it would provide medicines ranging from antibiotics and steroids to diarrhea pills to 79 countries on the World Bank's list of low- and lower-middle-income nations.</p>.<p>The Basel-based drugmaker plans to maintain the zero-profit programme until the pandemic ends or a vaccine or cure is found, Novartis Global Health Chief Operating Officer Lutz Hegemann said in an interview.</p>.<p>While Novartis has not seen supply-chain shortages despite increasing demands for Covid-19 medicines, Hegemann said this new programme aimed to help to keep vulnerable healthcare systems in Africa, Asia, South America and European countries Ukraine and Moldova from becoming overloaded.</p>.<p>"We shouldn't underestimate the stress that Covid-19 puts particularly on fragile health systems," Hegemann told Reuters, adding Novartis hopes to work with health authorities, faith-based organisations and NGOs to eliminate big markups.</p>.<p>"We are not targeting classical commercial distribution channels, but very direct channels, to influence that to the extent we can," he said.</p>.<p>Novartis's brand-name drugs have had little application in treating the new coronavirus, but Sandoz generics are among medicines commonly used to treat symptoms of those hospitalised.</p>.<p>The list includes antibiotics amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, vancomycin and levofloxacin, steroids dexamethasone, prednisone and prednisolone, gout treatment colchicine, heart failure drug dobutamine, antifungal fluconazole, blood thinner heparin, anti-diarrhea drug loperamide, reflux medicine pantoprazole and lung drug salbutamol.</p>.<p>Its malaria generic, hydroxychloroquine, is not included after some Covid-19 trials concluded it did not work and the United States cancelled emergency authorisation, though Novartis continues to provide it for trials and on government requests.</p>.<p>Hegemann did not give specifics on the drugs' eventual costs, compared to commercial prices. The drugs have been around for decades and are comparatively cheap to make.</p>
<p>Novartis's Sandoz division will not make a profit on 15 generic drugs it is making available to developing countries to treat symptoms of Covid-19, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Novartis said it would provide medicines ranging from antibiotics and steroids to diarrhea pills to 79 countries on the World Bank's list of low- and lower-middle-income nations.</p>.<p>The Basel-based drugmaker plans to maintain the zero-profit programme until the pandemic ends or a vaccine or cure is found, Novartis Global Health Chief Operating Officer Lutz Hegemann said in an interview.</p>.<p>While Novartis has not seen supply-chain shortages despite increasing demands for Covid-19 medicines, Hegemann said this new programme aimed to help to keep vulnerable healthcare systems in Africa, Asia, South America and European countries Ukraine and Moldova from becoming overloaded.</p>.<p>"We shouldn't underestimate the stress that Covid-19 puts particularly on fragile health systems," Hegemann told Reuters, adding Novartis hopes to work with health authorities, faith-based organisations and NGOs to eliminate big markups.</p>.<p>"We are not targeting classical commercial distribution channels, but very direct channels, to influence that to the extent we can," he said.</p>.<p>Novartis's brand-name drugs have had little application in treating the new coronavirus, but Sandoz generics are among medicines commonly used to treat symptoms of those hospitalised.</p>.<p>The list includes antibiotics amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, vancomycin and levofloxacin, steroids dexamethasone, prednisone and prednisolone, gout treatment colchicine, heart failure drug dobutamine, antifungal fluconazole, blood thinner heparin, anti-diarrhea drug loperamide, reflux medicine pantoprazole and lung drug salbutamol.</p>.<p>Its malaria generic, hydroxychloroquine, is not included after some Covid-19 trials concluded it did not work and the United States cancelled emergency authorisation, though Novartis continues to provide it for trials and on government requests.</p>.<p>Hegemann did not give specifics on the drugs' eventual costs, compared to commercial prices. The drugs have been around for decades and are comparatively cheap to make.</p>