More than 2000 children are currently enjoying summer holidays at the holiday facilities of the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia (FYAS), including many who are there with the help of the initiative Wink at the Sun – Free Holidays for 650 children

Sunshine games delight children in Pacug

12. 7. 2007

Pacug, July 11, 2007 – Pacug, an idyllic little bay on the Slovene coast, is filled with children’s laughter during the summer months, and today their holidays were further brightened by the Sunshine Games, which are put on for the children as part of the Wink at the Sun initiative every year by Lek, a Sandoz company, a major sponsor and partner to the initiative. The children were entertained by the pirate antics of the Kolenc Family Theater, and were thrilled with their gifts from Lek pharmaceuticals.

“Several programs are currently underway at the Friends of Youth Association – Wink at the Sun, We Were All Children Once, Holidays for Children with Special Needs and Holidays for Children from the Countryside, through which we will provide completely free holidays for more than 650 children from all over Slovenia. The highest number of children from socially marginalized families will enjoy holidays with the help of the humanitarian initiative Wink at the Sun. This initiative has been very well received by the citizens of Slovenia as individuals and representatives of companies, organizations and institutions. With their help and with excellent media support, since 1999 we have collected 1,104,930 euros and made free holidays available to 5673 children,” said Franc Hočevar, President of the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia.

Lek, a Sandoz company joined the Wink at the Sun initiative as a major sponsor and partner at the very beginning, and thus became involved in efforts to create a healthy, happy and pleasant childhood for all Slovene children. In addition to the funds allocated for children’s holidays, this year two Sunshine Games events will be held, one today in Pacug, and the other at the end of August in Maribor.

“This is the fourth year that Lek as part of the Wink at the Sun initiative has organized a special day of events for children – the Sunshine Games – where the children most of all have a lot of fun. And every year when we visit them, we are once again pleasantly surprised by their smiling faces. This is also the only confirmation that we need and it tells us that we truly chose the right path when we decided to work with the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia and help children whose families are not able to afford holidays. Lek’s mission is to provide health and a better quality of life. We are convinced that in cooperation with the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia we are fulfilling this mission, since we are helping the people who need it most,” said Member of the Lek Board of Management Marjan Novak, who added: “Today the children will be entertained by the pirate antics of the Kolenc Family Theater on one of the nicest spots on the Slovene coast, and we hope that we will once again succeed in putting on a truly unforgettable day for our young holidaymakers.”

“Through making relaxing and creative holidays available children, we are implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that all children have the right to appropriate recreational activities, and to rest and leisure time in an environment which fosters their health. The holidays which our associations and societies organize give children the opportunity for further personal growth, to develop their individual talents and interests, to acquire new knowledge, develop social skills, make contacts with their peers, make new friends and last but not least to improve the health of children and young people. At the moment our holiday facilities, which have a total of 2500 beds, are full, but there are still spaces available in the upcoming periods,” said General Secretary of the FYAS Majda Struc, who also mentioned several other programs which the associations and societies which are members of the Friends of Youth Association of Slovenia are running during the children’s holidays in all larger towns throughout Slovenia.

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Lek, a Sandoz company, is one of the pillars of leading world generics company Sandoz. It operates as a global development center for products and technologies, as a global manufacturing center for active pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines, as a competence center for the development of vertically integrated products, as a Sandoz competence center in the field of development and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products and as a supply center for the markets of CEE, SEE and CIS, sales Slovenia and sales services for Sandoz’s global markets. Lek d.d. employs about 2,820 people and achieved total sales of USD 904 million in 2006. For further information please consult http://www.lek.si

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 patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of more than 840 active substances in over 5 000 forms worldwide. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these drugs along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to the strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany) and EonLabs (U.S.) and sells its products in more than 110 countries. In 2006, Sandoz employed around 21,000 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 6 billion.

Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, cure disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in both patented and generic pharmaceuticals. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics and leading self-medication OTC brands. In 2006, the Group’s businesses achieved net sales of USD 37.0 billion and net income of USD 7.2 billion. Approximately USD 5.4 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 101,000 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.

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For further information contact:

Katarina Klemenc Dinjaški

Corporate Communications

Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.

Phone: + 386 1 580 22 43

Fax: + 386 1 580 24 32

communications.lek@sandoz.com