Pharmaceutics multinational Novartis has signed a preliminary agreement with the Tuscan regional government to carry out co-financed clinical research programmes in the fight against post-menopausal osteoporosis and hypertension.
Novartis is the only biotech company to develop and produce vaccines in Italy, which are manufactured in their plants in Siena and Rosia.
In a recent press release, the Basel-based company explained that this type of agreement reflected ''the ability of the Tuscan regional government to recognize the value in collaborating with the pharmaceutical industry and could represent a first step towards the realization of regional programme agreements, in order to reach common goals such as research and development''.
Novartis already collaborates with the leading hospital research centres and universities in the region.
In Tuscany alone during 2006-2007 they collaborated with more than 50 experimental clinical studies in more than 60 Tuscan centres and over 800 patients.
These numbers are in line with Novartis's commitment on the national level given that in Italy the total investments have exceeded 34 million euros.
In 2006, they completed over 150 clinical studies making it one of the most active companies in the clinical trials sector for new pharmaceutics.
Eighty percent of vaccines produced in the Siena plant - where in 2006 Novartis incorporated Chiron and created its Vaccines & Diagnostics division - are exported to more than 70 countries around the world.
