Patients with early Parkinson's disease show better symptom control[1] and improvements in daily activities[1] with Stalevo than levodopa/carbidopa

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* New data intended to support regulatory filings in 2008 with goal
of expanding Stalevo indication to include treatment of early
Parkinson's disease
* Stalevo currently used only when levodopa/carbidopa loses
therapeutic effect prior to next scheduled dose[2] (referred to
as end-of-dose "wearing off")
* Approximately 6.5 million people worldwide suffer from
Parkinson's disease[3], a progressive and disabling neurological
condition

* New data intended to support regulatory filings in 2008 with goal
of expanding Stalevo indication to include treatment of early
Parkinson's disease
* Stalevo currently used only when levodopa/carbidopa loses
therapeutic effect prior to next scheduled dose[2] (referred to
as end-of-dose "wearing off")
* Approximately 6.5 million people worldwide suffer from
Parkinson's disease[3], a progressive and disabling neurological
condition

Basel, April 15, 2008 - A new study in patients with early
Parkinson's disease demonstrates that Stalevo®
(levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone) gives better symptom control[1] and
greater improvements in activities of daily living[1] than
levodopa/carbidopa, the most widely-used current therapy.

The FIRST STEP study, presented today at the American Academy of
Neurology Annual Meeting in Chicago, is intended to support
regulatory filings in 2008 for the use of Stalevo in patients with
early Parkinson's disease (PD) who have not been treated with
levodopa.

"It is important to provide effective therapeutic options for
patients with early PD, and levodopa/carbidopa has been considered
the most effective treatment for motor symptoms," said Robert A.
Hauser, MD, Professor of Neurology, Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics at the University of South Florida, and principal
investigator of the study. "The results of FIRST STEP indicate that
Stalevo may provide greater benefits for patients with early
Parkinson's disease over and above levodopa/carbidopa therapy."

Stalevo is currently indicated for certain Parkinson's disease
patients who experience end-of-dose motor (or movement) fluctuations,
known as "wearing off"[2]. This occurs when the dose of levodopa that
initially controlled their symptoms is no longer enough to maintain
full control until the next dose[4].

In the FIRST STEP study in patients with early Parkinson's disease,
Stalevo showed a statistically significant improvement versus
levodopa/carbidopa in the primary endpoint, which was the combined
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part II-activities
of daily living (eating, bathing, dressing) and Part III-motor scores
(agility, rigidity, tremors) (p=0.045)[1].

FIRST STEP (Favorability of Immediate-Release carbidopa/levodopa vs
STalevo; Short-Term comparison in Early Parkinson's) was a
double-blind, randomized, parallel group, fixed-dose clinical trial
that included 423 patients with early Parkinson's disease in eight
countries[1].

"This study is part of a research initiative to better understand the
potential of Stalevo in the treatment of patients with early
Parkinson's disease," said Trevor Mundel, MD, Head of Global
Development Functions at Novartis Pharma AG. "The results of FIRST
STEP demonstrate the potential for Stalevo to provide benefits for an
even greater number of patients suffering from this often devastating
disease."

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disorder of the nervous
system, which causes increasing disability over time[5] and affects
approximately 6.5 million people worldwide[3]. The condition is
diagnosed by the appearance of movement-related or 'motor' symptoms
including tremor, muscular rigidity, stooped posture and slowness or
difficulty in movement[6].

Stalevo is an optimized levodopa therapy combining levodopa and
carbidopa with the enzyme inhibitor entacapone, which extends the
presence of levodopa in the bloodstream. It was approved by the US
Food and Drug Administration in June 2003 and by the European
Commission in October 2003, and is now approved in 79 countries.
Stalevo is developed and manufactured by Orion Corporation, and is
marketed by Novartis and Orion in their respective territories.

The most common side effects of Stalevo are unwanted or
uncontrollable movements (known as dyskinesia), nausea, diarrhea,
excessive muscle movements (known as hyperkinesia), harmless
discoloration of urine, sweat and/or saliva; diminished or slow
movements (known as hypokinesia), abdominal pain, dizziness,
constipation, fatigue, pain, and hallucinations. Some of the more
serious side effects may include severe diarrhea, severe dyskinesia,
hallucinations, other mental disturbances, orthostatic hypotension
(low blood pressure), rhabdomyolysis (a muscle disease), and symptoms
resembling neuroleptic malignant syndrome (a condition characterized
by fever and muscle stiffness).

Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements which can
be identified by the use of terminology such as "potential,"
"intended," "will," "may," or similar expressions, or by express or
implied discussions regarding potential future regulatory filings or
approvals of Stalevo or potential future sales of Stalevo. Such
forward-looking statements reflect the current views of Novartis
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 Stalevo will be approved in any additional markets or
for any additional indication in any market or that Stalevo will
reach any particular sales levels. In particular, management's
expectations regarding Stalevo could be affected by, among other
things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government
regulation generally; unexpected clinical trial results, including
unexpected additional analysis of clinical data, or unexpected new
clinical data; our ability to obtain or maintain patent or other
proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in general;
increased government, industry, and general public pricing pressures;
production delays or business interruption generally; 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 Novartis
Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving
needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on growth areas in
healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet
these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic
pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, and
consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading
positions in these areas. In 2007, the Group's continuing operations
(excluding divestments in 2007) achieved net sales of USD 38.1
billion and net income of USD 6.5 billion. Approximately USD 6.4
billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ
approximately 98,200 full-time associates and operate in over 140
countries around the world. For more information, please visit
http://www.novartis.com.

References
[1] Hauser RA, Panisset M, Abbruzzese G, et al. Improved symptom
control with fixed dose levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (Stalevo®)
versus conventional levodopa/carbidopa as first-line levodopa therapy
in early Parkinson's disease patients. From abstract; poster to be
presented at 60th annual meeting of American Academy of Neurology,
Chicago 12-19 April 2008.
[2] Stalevo Prescribing Information.
[3] Decision Resources DB 9, Mattson Jack Epidemiology Database.
[4] Thanvi B et al. Long term motor complications of levodopa:
clinical features, mechanisms, and management strategies. Postgrad
Med J 2004; 80: 452-458.
[5] NIH. Medical Encyclopedia.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000755.htm.
[6] National Parkinson Foundation. Parkinson Primer.
http://www.parkinson.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=226&srcid=225

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