Novartis AG reported higher-than-expected profit last quarter as newer cancer medicines offset the ageing blockbuster Entresto’s generic hit, signalling a return to growth.

(July 21): Novartis AG reported higher-than-expected profit last quarter as newer cancer medicines offset the ageing blockbuster Entresto’s generic hit, signalling a return to growth.

Earnings excluding some items were unchanged at US$5.94 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday, topping the US$5.34 billion average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales were also better than anticipated. 

Chief executive officer Vas Narasimhan’s strategy to focus on innovative medicines faces a key test this year as former best-sellers like the heart drug Entresto lose sales to cheaper copies before enough new medicines are ready to power growth. Last quarter probably marked the worst of the patent cliff for Novartis, analysts said.

Among the medicines meant to boost growth is a new pill for chronic skin disease called Rhapsido, which garnered US$64 million in revenue last quarter, exceeding estimates. 

Others are still going through clinical tests, with Novartis set to report key trial results for experimental treatments for heart disease and multiple sclerosis, including the first medicine Del-desiran, which targets the genetic cause of a muscle disease, from its US$12 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences.

To bolster growth, Narasimhan has announced more than US$15 billion of deals over the past year. They include Avidity and its pipeline of RNA medicines, Tourmaline Bio, which is working on inflammation linked to heart disease, and Synnovation Therapeutics, whose experimental compounds target cancer-driving proteins. More recently, Novartis agreed to buy Myricx Bio, an unusually early-stage bet on cancer drugs that have only just entered clinical tests.

The company has pledged to build seven new facilities in the US, part of a broader US$23 billion push to expand its manufacturing footprint there and avoid industry tariffs. Much of the investment will focus on radioligand therapy, which uses targeted drugs to deliver radiation directly to tumours. Novartis is the only company with two approved medicines in the field, Pluvicto and Lutathera.

Novartis shares have climbed about 12% so far this year, more than those of Swiss rival Roche Holding AG, which will also report earnings this week.

Uploaded by Liza Shireen Koshy

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