As Sun Sets On Gleevec, Novartis Looks To New Horizons In Oncology

The blockbuster leukemia drug will likely face generic competition in 2015, putting pressure on Novartis to bring new cancer drugs to market to make up for the lost sales. The company has several promising mid- to late-stage candidates in the pipeline, but developing another blockbuster the likes of Gleevec won’t be easy.

Following the loss of the hypertension drug Diovan (valsartan) in September, Novartis AG has a little – but just a little – breathing room before its next big cliff: the loss of exclusivity for its leukemia drug Gleevec (imatinib), likely beginning in the U.S. in July 2015. The impending loss of the mega blockbuster that catapulted Novartis into a leading oncology player is putting pressure on the Swiss pharma to bring new cancer drugs to market to maintain growth within oncology, its largest franchise.

The company is banking on launching six oncology drugs before 2016, products now in development that management highlighted during an R&D Day for investors held on Nov

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