{"id":93150,"date":"2026-10-22T08:30:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T06:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/news\/novartis\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T12:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T10:49:08","slug":"novartis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/","title":{"rendered":"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

This interconnection within the health sector is no coincidence. The region\u2019s strong scientific environment and its open, collaborative ecosystem ensure that innovations reach patients more quickly and that science is translated into social impact.<\/p>\n

This is particularly relevant for Novartis. The Swiss company has been operating in the Netherlands for over 45 years. Nearly 250 employees work at the Dutch head office in Amsterdam. Novartis\u2019 medicines reach more than 600,000 patients across the Netherlands every year.<\/p>\n

Innovation is key<\/h2>\n

In the fields of cardiovascular disease, oncology, immunology and neuroscience, Novartis is developing new treatment options for patients and is contributing to the Dutch innovation and research environment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Diana<\/span>

<\/h2>

Diana Villavieja, Managing Director of Novartis Netherlands<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The development of a new medicine by a pharmaceutical company can easily take ten to fifteen years and cost between 2 and 3 billion. Only a small proportion \u2013 less than 10 per cent \u2013 ultimately makes it to market.<\/p>\n

Diana Villavieja, Director of Novartis Netherlands, is involved in this entire process, from research to clinical practice. She began her career as an engineer and has been working in the international pharmaceutical sector for almost two decades. Here, she has held various roles at the intersection of strategy and innovation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Preventative check-ups<\/h2>\n

Villavieja headed up the oncology team at Novartis Spain, where she saw first-hand how medical innovations and awareness can make a difference. \u201cI\u2019m a strong advocate of preventative check-ups, for breast cancer, for example. Please do have these check-ups, for your own sake and for the sake of your loved ones. The earlier it\u2019s detected, the better the chances of a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also knows how complex the development of new medicines is. \u201cIt often starts with an idea, an initial discovery,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it takes years before such an innovation actually reaches a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

During that period, a medicine goes through various phases: from fundamental research to clinical trials and, ultimately, production and distribution. At every stage, medicines that fail to meet the required standards of efficacy and safety are weeded out.<\/p>\n

All the links are closely interlinked<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a process that takes ten to fifteen years,\u201d says Villavieja. \u201cAnd even then, you can never be sure it will succeed. You need all those links \u2013 from science to healthcare and industry. If just one part doesn\u2019t work properly, the whole process slows down. In and around Amsterdam, those parties are situated close together. That makes collaboration easier and speeds things up. You need each other at every stage. If you can find each other quickly, you make progress faster. That\u2019s why our Amsterdam office also plays an important role internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, that position cannot be taken for granted. Europe faces the challenge of strengthening its competitiveness and investment climate. Whilst other parts of the world are investing heavily in research, technology and innovation, Villavieja believes it is important that the Netherlands, too, continues to build strong ecosystems in which knowledge institutions, healthcare organisations, businesses and public authorities work together. It is precisely in this regard that the Amsterdam region can play a key role. \u201cYou must continue to invest in collaboration and in an attractive environment for research and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthcare as an investment, not a cost<\/h2>\n

According to Villavieja, the greatest challenge lies in making innovations available and recognising their value. New treatments often already exist, but do not always reach (Dutch) patients. Access, regulation and decision-making play a major role in this.<\/p>\n

This also presents a joint challenge for the region. \u201cWe need to learn to view investment in healthcare differently,\u201d says Villavieja. \u201cNot just as a cost, but as something that creates value in the long term \u2013 for patients and for society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Give patients a voice<\/h2>\n

This calls for collaboration between businesses, research institutions and the government. But according to Villavieja, that is no longer enough: patients and society must also be given a voice.<\/p>\n

To strengthen this broader collaboration, Novartis has recently become a partner of the Amsterdam Economic Board, the ideal platform where these parties can come together. For example, the company is also a member of the MRA met Hart coalition<\/a>, which aims to improve and equalise heart health in the region, partly through the use of data, and of the De Slapende Reus coalition<\/a>, which focuses on raising the profile of and fostering collaboration within the Life Sciences & Health ecosystem<\/a> in the Amsterdam metropolitan region.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you bring parties together at an earlier stage and look for solutions jointly, you can really make progress,\u201d says Villavieja. \u201cThe foundation here is strong. Now it\u2019s a matter of making better use of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Would you like to become a partner too?<\/h2>\n

Check the partners<\/a> we\u2019re working with towards building a future-proof regional economy.<\/p>\n

And find out more about the benefits for partners in our network<\/a> (in Dutch). Relationship Manager Marjan Schrama<\/a> would be happy to tell you more about this.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":93097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[448],"tags":[828,829],"class_list":["post-93150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-life-sciences-health","tag-partners","challenge-gezond"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNovartis: \u2018The region as an engine for medical breakthroughs\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Amsterdam Economic Board\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jet van Eeghen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jet van Eeghen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jet van Eeghen\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/542d96771fdcbf277afbf802a0a55ddb\"},\"headline\":\"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":5072,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Novartis-.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Life Sciences & Health\",\"partners\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/\",\"name\":\"Novartis: \u2018The region as an engine for medical breakthroughs\u2019\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Novartis-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Novartis-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Novartis-.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Asian male and female scientis work together in the research laboratory. Young technician researcher of health care in lab coat, analyze and conducting test for biotechnology and medical development.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/novartis\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Amsterdam Economic Board\",\"description\":\"Voor de Metropool van Morgen\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Amsterdam Economic Board\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard_logo_200x200.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard_logo_200x200.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"Amsterdam Economic Board\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/amsterdam-economic-board\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard123\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/542d96771fdcbf277afbf802a0a55ddb\",\"name\":\"Jet van Eeghen\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Novartis: \u2018The region as an engine for medical breakthroughs\u2019","description":"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019","og_description":"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>","og_url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/","og_site_name":"Amsterdam Economic Board","article_published_time":"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jet van Eeghen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jet van Eeghen","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/"},"author":{"name":"Jet van Eeghen","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#\/schema\/person\/542d96771fdcbf277afbf802a0a55ddb"},"headline":"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019","datePublished":"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/"},"wordCount":5072,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg","keywords":["Life Sciences & Health","partners"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/","url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/","name":"Novartis: \u2018The region as an engine for medical breakthroughs\u2019","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-22T06:30:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-02T10:49:08+00:00","description":"\u2018Nowhere does the drug development chain come together as closely as in the Amsterdam region,\u2019 says Diana Villavieja, Country President of Novartis Netherlands >>","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Novartis-.jpg","width":1920,"height":600,"caption":"Asian male and female scientis work together in the research laboratory. Young technician researcher of health care in lab coat, analyze and conducting test for biotechnology and medical development."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/news\/novartis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Novartis: \u2018Region as driver for medical breakthroughs\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/","name":"Amsterdam Economic Board","description":"Voor de Metropool van Morgen","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#organization","name":"Amsterdam Economic Board","url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard_logo_200x200.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard_logo_200x200.png","width":200,"height":200,"caption":"Amsterdam Economic Board"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/amsterdam-economic-board","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AmsterdamEconomicBoard123"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/#\/schema\/person\/542d96771fdcbf277afbf802a0a55ddb","name":"Jet van Eeghen"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93150"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93155,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93150\/revisions\/93155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amsterdameconomicboard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}