Novartis India Limited has submitted its Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) to the Bombay Stock Exchange for the financial year ended March 31, 2026.

The filing outlines the company’s performance against the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC). As a trading entity without manufacturing facilities, Novartis India focuses its disclosures on office operations, supply chain ethics, and stakeholder engagement rather than industrial production metrics.

Operational and Environmental Metrics

The company reported a significant reduction in energy consumption during FY26 compared to the previous year. Total energy consumed fell from 1,310.0 GJ in FY25 to 290.02 GJ in FY26. This decline was driven by a sharp drop in non-renewable electricity consumption, which decreased from 1,310.0 GJ to 60.02 GJ. Renewable electricity consumption was recorded at 230 GJ for the period January 2025 to December 2025.

Greenhouse gas emissions also saw a marked decrease. Total Scope 2 emissions dropped from 277.4 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent in FY25 to 12.3 metric tonnes in FY26. Scope 1 emissions were not tracked. The reduction in Scope 2 emissions aligns with initiatives such as transitioning local logistics from air to surface freight, which the company states reduced transportation-related emissions by over 70% in 2025 compared to 2024.

Employee Welfare and Governance

Novartis India employed 59 individuals as of March 31, 2026, comprising 57 permanent employees and 2 non-permanent staff. The workforce included 48 males and 11 females. The company reported a 0% turnover rate for permanent employees in FY26, down from 7% in FY25 and 11% in FY24.

The Board of Directors consists of six members, with three women representing 50% of the board. Key Management Personnel includes three individuals, two of whom are female (66.66%). All permanent employees received training on health, safety, and skill upgradation, achieving 100% coverage.

Regulatory and Stakeholder Engagement

The report disclosed several regulatory proceedings. The Income Tax Department proposed an adjustment of approximately ₹33.83 million regarding transfer pricing issues for the assessment year 2022-23; the company has appealed this order. Additionally, a demand of ₹10.28 crore was raised under Section 156 of the Income-tax Act for TDS defaults in AY 2020-21, which is also under appeal.

Stakeholder complaints were minimal. The company received 19 shareholder complaints, with one pending resolution at year-end. Customer complaints totaled 15, with seven pending. No complaints were received regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, or child labour.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between total waste generated and hazardous waste disposal highlights the operational nature of the entity. While total waste increased from 39.6 metric tonnes in FY25 to 48.9 metric tonnes in FY26, hazardous waste incineration dropped significantly from 36.1 metric tonnes to 17.5 metric tonnes. This suggests a shift in waste composition or improved segregation practices, as plastic waste (26.5 metric tonnes) appeared in FY26 data where it was nil previously.

Novartis announced positive topline results from its Phase III REMODEL-1/-2 trials of remibrutinib for relapsing multiple sclerosis on September 1, 2026. The oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor demonstrated superiority versus teriflunomide in reducing annualized relapse rate and inflammatory brain lesions.

The trials met their primary endpoint, significantly reducing the annualized relapse rate compared to the active comparator. Remibrutinib also showed superiority on all key secondary endpoints within each trial, including a reduction in MRI lesions. These results establish remibrutinib as a BTK inhibitor achieving significant reductions in annualized relapse rate across two Phase III studies in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety

Remibrutinib delivered clinically meaningful reductions in key secondary endpoints related to disability progression. A preplanned combined analysis of REMODEL-1/-2 showed a positive trend in 3-month confirmed disability progression and nominal significance in 6-month confirmed disability progression.

The safety profile was consistent with the broader development program, which comprises more than 4,500 clinical trial participants across multiple indications. Remibrutinib was well tolerated with no liver safety signal, including no cases meeting Hy’s Law criteria.

What the Numbers Show

The clinical data indicates that remibrutinib addresses both inflammatory activity and disability progression simultaneously. While the primary endpoint focused on relapse rates, the secondary data points to potential long-term benefits in slowing disease advancement, supported by the nominal significance in 6-month confirmed disability progression.

Next Steps

Novartis plans to present late-breaking data at MSToronto2026 and intends to host an investor call following the congress presentation. The company plans to seek regulatory approval for remibrutinib in relapsing multiple sclerosis globally.

Shreeram Aradhye, President of Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis, stated that an unmet need remains for oral therapies delivering robust relapse prevention while maintaining a favorable safety profile. He noted that the findings reinforce the company’s ambition to drive innovation in multiple sclerosis care.