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Novartis: Scaling Breakthroughs to Reach Patients Worldwide

SupplyChainDigital
SupplyChainDigital•May 29, 2026

Why It Matters

By marrying AI‑enabled manufacturing with a deep pipeline, Novartis can deliver life‑saving drugs faster and more efficiently, reshaping patient access and setting a new industry standard.

Key Takeaways

  • •Novartis leverages AI and automation to accelerate drug manufacturing.
  • •Digital tools enable global scaling of oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular therapies.
  • •Operational resilience hinges on skilled workforce and collaborative culture.
  • •First-to-market approach drives pioneering treatments in emerging therapeutic areas.
  • •Integrated supply chain aims to deliver innovative medicines worldwide efficiently.

Summary

Novartis CEO Stefan Lang outlines the company’s mission to improve and extend lives by scaling breakthrough medicines across oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and immunology. The focus is on operational excellence, leveraging cutting‑edge digital tools, artificial intelligence and high‑degree automation to manufacture and distribute therapies worldwide.

The presentation highlights a robust pipeline supported by a large research organization, with an emphasis on being first‑to‑market in new therapeutic areas. AI‑driven process optimization, real‑time data analytics, and automated production lines are cited as key drivers that reduce time‑to‑patient and enhance supply‑chain resilience.

Lang stresses that this progress is possible only through “great people,” collaborative culture, and relentless passion. He notes that each day brings new therapies, and the company’s ability to rapidly produce them stems from the integration of technology with skilled talent.

The implications are significant: faster patient access to innovative treatments, strengthened competitive positioning for Novartis, and a model that other pharma firms may emulate to meet global demand while controlling costs.

Original Description

Steffen Lang, President, Operations at Novartis, shares how the global medicine leader is reimagining supply chains to bring life-changing treatments to patients worldwide. Discover how advanced platforms like AI and automation are solving complex, time-sensitive logistics to redefine healthcare delivery.
How does a global healthcare pioneer reliably deliver highly complex, individualised, and time-sensitive treatments across the world?
In this exclusive interview, Steffen Lang, President, Operations at Novartis, breaks down how the company has built its operations network for speed, reliability, and reach. Operating a network of over 30 manufacturing sites globally, Novartis is leveraging the next generation of automation and artificial intelligence to create connected, end-to-end supply chains capable of meeting surging global demand.
From the extreme chronological demands of Radioligand Therapy (RLT)—where treatments must travel from the production floor to remote patient locations in just 3 to 5 days—to navigating unprecedented global supply chain shocks, learn how Novartis prioritizes product quality, operational resilience, and deep-rooted sustainability to ensure no patient is left waiting.
Key Takeaways:
• Advanced Medical Platforms: An inside look into how Novartis scales next-generation treatments, including cell and gene therapies, siRNA medicines, and cutting-edge radioligand therapies (RLT).
• AI & Automation Integration: How digital tracking, predictive analytics, and automation maintain a 99%+ on-time administration rate, even during severe weather disruptions.
• Supply Chain Resilience: The strategy behind managing over 30 global manufacturing sites and deploying dual supply chains to eliminate critical points of failure.
• Commitment to Net Zero: How Novartis has achieved carbon neutrality in its own operations since 2016 and is systematically integrating Scope 3 sustainability targets into 97% of its supplier contracts.
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