Novartis in talks with traders to solve boycott issue

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Novartis India, which is facing a threat from traders' association in Mumbai to boycott its products, on Thursday said it is in talks with the traders to resolve the issue.

"Novartis India Ltd is in dialogue with the trade associations on the issue," a company spokesperson told reporters in response to a written query.

Various traders' associations in the Mumbai region had threatened to boycott the products of Novartis alleging that the company is violating the norms of trade by selling its products directly to the consumers, thus bypassing them.

The traders' associations had also written to the management of Novartis in this regard.

The spokesperson said, "The interest of patients is paramount and all its practices are geared towards ensuring that the patients receive superior quality products at all times."