Novartis and MIT in research partnership

The 10-year partnership, known as the Novartis-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Continuous Manufacturing, will work to develop new technologies that could replace the conventional batch-based system in the pharmaceuticals industry, which often includes many interruptions and work at separate sites, with continuous manufacturing processes from start to finish. Novartis will invest $65 million in research activities at MIT over the next 10 years.

Dr Daniel Vasella, chairman and CEO, said: “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to lead not only in discovering innovative treatments for patients but also in improving manufacturing processes, which are critical to ensuring a high-quality, efficient and reliable supply of medicines to patients. Our collaboration with MIT, a worldwide leader in developing cutting edge technologies, holds the promise to achieve a quantum leap in the production of pharmaceuticals, a field which has received rather little attention in the past.”