Swiss-based international pharma group Novartis AG said that thousands of lectures on health were organized by its health express program until the end of 2016, with the lecture circuit covering almost 90 percent of the remote areas in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and benefiting more than 2 million participants.

"The achievements of the project inspire our adherence to corporate responsibility and responsible operations, helping more people improve their health and quality of life," said Larry Zhang, vice-president of Novartis Group (China).

Novartis estimates costs for the public welfare program to date have totaled about 50 million yuan ($4.23 million). Novartis, one of the largest drugmakers in the world, aims to raise local people's health awareness and improve local health conditions in Xinjiang.