Can Novartis Break Back Into The US Top Five? It Is Going To Need Bigger Blockbusters

New Strategy Head Will Seek Higher Earning Innovation

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

Novartis has led the sector in number of launches, but has failed to find a mega-blockbuster to lift its standing in the US – its CEO hopes new leaders can help turn that around.

Novartis
Novartis is the leader in number of new approvals in recent years - but does not have a big-earning blockbuster like Trulicity or Keytruda to power its US sales. • Source: Alamy

The major reorganization unveiled by Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan on 4 April, which merges its standalone oncology unit with its pharma division and puts new emphasis on US commercial success, represents an admission that the company has been underperforming compared with its peers. (Also see "Novartis Restructure Sees Drug Development And Oncology Chiefs Exit" - Scrip, 4 April, 2022.)

Narasimhan said the changes were the logical next step in the progression from Novartis’s former conglomerate strategy towards a pure-play...

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