• Aimovig^® is the first treatment available in Canada to prevent migraine by blocking the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRP-R)ⁱ, which plays a critical role in migraineⁱⁱ
  
• Aimovig^® offers migraine sufferers a once monthly treatment consistently shown to reduce monthly migraine days, with many patients achieving a 50% reduction or moreⁱ
  
• Introduction of this new type of migraine prevention treatment is an example of the Novartis commitment to reimagine medicine

DORVAL, QC, Dec. 3, 2018 /CNW/ - Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (Novartis) is pleased to announce that Aimovig^® (erenumab) is now available in Canada for the prevention of migraine in adults who have at least four migraine days per monthⁱ. This news follows the Health Canada approval for the treatment on August 1, 2018.

"The arrival of the first anti-CGRP treatment in Canada for migraine prevention is an important milestone for patients and Novartis. We are thrilled that Aimovig^® is now available to Canadian migraine sufferers who could benefit from this type of treatment," said Janice Murray, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. "The more we learn about the patient journey and the experiences they live through the more we are committed to reimagine medicine to meet their needs. This new treatment is an example of our commitment to migraine patients."

Almost three million Canadians are directly affected by migraineⁱⁱⁱ. Globally, migraine was reported as the second leading cause of years lived with disability in 2016^iv. It is associated with a substantial social and economic impact^v and considered the third most prevalent illness in the world^vi.

"Migraine is a complex and debilitating neurological disease that can be complicated to manage. We recently learned that targeting the CGRP-R pathway is a new approach to preventing migraine. The arrival and now availability of the first CGRP inhibitor in Canada gives us an additional and welcomed tool to help us manage this disease." said Dr. Elizabeth Leroux, President, Canadian Headache Society.

Aimovig^® is designed to be self-administered as a once monthly injection via the (SureClick^®) autoinjectorⁱ.

About migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disease that causes recurrent attacks of head pain that is often associated with nausea and vomiting and can involve sensitivity to light and sound^vii.

Migraine causes significant disability, seven million workdays are reportedly lost to it annually, which is likely under-reported. Most sufferers develop their first migraine headache in adolescence or early adulthood^viii. The highest prevalence rates in Canada are among people in their 30s and 40s and women are more than twice as likely as men to report having migraine. People with migraine are much more likely to suffer from depression. It is a disease that impacts many areas of daily living, including education, work, sleep and drivingⁱⁱⁱ.

About Amgen and Novartis Neuroscience Collaboration
In August 2015, Amgen entered into a global collaboration with Novartis to jointly develop and commercialize pioneering treatments in the field of migraine and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The collaboration focuses on investigational Amgen drugs in the migraine field, including erenumab (Biologics License Application submitted to U.S. FDA in May 2017) and AMG 301 (currently in Phase 1 development). In April 2017, the collaboration was expanded to include co-commercialization of erenumab in the U.S. For the migraine program, Amgen retains exclusive rights in Japan, and Novartis has exclusive rights in Europe, Canada and rest of world. Also, the companies are collaborating in the development and commercialization of a beta-secretase 1 (BACE) inhibitor program in AD. The oral therapy CNP520 (currently in Phase 3 for AD) is the lead molecule and further compounds from both companies' pre-clinical BACE inhibitor programs may be considered as follow-on molecules.

About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians. In 2017, the company invested $51 million in research and development in Canada. Located in Dorval, Quebec, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. employs approximately 750 people in Canada and is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca.

About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com.

Aimovig and SureClick are registered trademarks of Amgen Inc. used under license by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.

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SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.