Press release

Sandoz ensures continued supply of levothyroxine sodium in Japan
Tokyo, Japan, April 01, 2011 – Sandoz K.K. is pleased to announce that it has recently started importing
levothyroxine sodium to meet the needs of Japanese patients, following the disruption of the product’s supply by the devastating effects of the natural disaster. The earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011 caused severe damage to the country’s ability to supply THYRADIN-S® Tablets 25, 50, and 100, and THYRADIN-S® Powder 0.01%, both manufactured and sold by ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Sandoz markets levothyroxine sodium, the generic version of THYRADIN-S, indicated for hypothyroidism and pituitary TSH suppression, in 25 μg and At the request of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Sandoz will import levothyroxine sodium product (50 μg) from its manufacturing plant in Germany in order to meet this urgent medical need. Sandoz expects to start delivering this supply by mid April through ASKA Pharmaceutical’s “I am very happy that we have been able to refocus our global resources in cooperation with our Headquarters in Germany and deliver levothyroxine sodium medicines to Japanese patients quickly,” said Junichi Nakamichi, Country Head of Sandoz Japan. “We will continue to strive to further contribute to the Japanese medical service by meeting such vital medical needs.”
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as
“will,” “strategy,” “pipeline,” or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential
future revenues. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking
statements reflect the current views of the Company regarding future events, and involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from
any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be
no guarantee that any products will achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In particular,
management’s expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected inabilities to maintain
exclusivity periods for our product; FDA approval of additional versions of generic products; competition in
general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; unexpected regulatory actions or
delays or government regulation general y; patent litigation outcomes; the impact that the foregoing factors
could have on the values attributed to the Novartis Group’s assets and liabilities as recorded in the
Group’s consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form
20-F on file with the US 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 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.

About Sandoz
Sandoz, a Division of the Novartis group, is a global leader in the field of generic pharmaceuticals, offering
a wide array of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by valid and enforceable
third-party patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of approximately 1000 compounds and sells its products in
about 130 countries. Key product groups include cardiovascular medicines, anti-infectives, treatments for
central nervous system and alimentary tract disorders, oncology and respiratory therapies, as well as
medications for blood and blood forming organ disorders. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these
medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances. In addition to strong organic
growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex
(Canada), Hexal (Germany), Eon Labs (US), EBEWE Pharma (Austria), and Oriel Therapeutics (US). In
2010, Sandoz employed more than 23,000 people (full-time equivalents) worldwide and achieved net
sales of USD 8.5 billion for the full year.
For further information
Michiyo Morimoto
Marija Mandic
THYRADIN-S® is a registered trademark of ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Page 2 of 2

Source: http://www.gx.novartis.com/assets/media/shared/documents/press_releases/110401_Levothyroxine.pdf