For Novartis, the human impact of its discoveries is the impetus to produce more and better medicines. Our breakthrough drug Glivec^® (imatinib) is transforming the lives of cancer patients worldwide.

Glivec took only 32 months from the time of its first human trial to its first licence approval, setting a new standard in the development of cancer products.

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Glivec is one of the first drugs to inhibit the growth of malignant cells while having a limited effect on healthy tissue, usually without the distressing hair loss, sickness, and weakened immune system that accompany conventional cancer therapies.

Originally developed to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), Glivec also targets tumour cells in gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) patients, and is being investigated in other forms of cancer. Glivec is the standard of care in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) CML and metastatic and/or unresectable GIST with proven efficacy and longevity. No other drug for CML or GIST has established as proven and durable a track record of efficacy and safety as Glivec.

Glivec has been a key instrument in improving and transforming patients' lives. Few drugs have succeeded to the extent that Glivec has in fundamentally changing the natural history of a disease.

Here are a few examples of the extraordinary human impact experienced by patients who take Glivec:

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Learn how the Glivec Patient Assistance Program, GIPAP, is helping qualified patients worldwide receive Glivec at no cost.

Find resources for your patients who have been diagnosed with GIST or CML in For Your Patients.

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