Swiss pharma giants Novartis and Roche consistently rank among the top pharma companies in terms of revenue. In 2024, the two companies are also leading in total international patent volume. Meanwhile, smaller firms like Incyte and Vertex Pharma are punching above their weight in market impact. For instance, Incyte, with a market cap of just…
Kisqali slashes recurrence risk by 28.5% in early breast cancer
Updated results from the Phase 3 NATALEE trial reveal that Kisqali (ribociclib) significantly cut the risk of recurrence in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer. Adding Kisqali to standard endocrine therapy (ET) resulted in a 28.5% reduction in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) events compared to ET alone (HR=0.715; 95% CI: 0.609–0.840; P<0.0001), Novartis announced in…
Best-selling pharmaceuticals of 2023 reveal a shift in pharma landscape
[Updated May 21, 2024.] 2023 may not go down as the brightest year for the pharma sector, but the entry of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) into the ranks of top-selling drugs like Keytruda, Dupixent, and Eliquis signals a new era in the treatment of metabolic disease. Novo Nordisk’s sales jumped by more than one-third in…
From Novartis to Pfizer: A closer look at novel cell and gene therapy pricing and reimbursement strategies
Cell and gene therapies are upending the treatment of a growing number of diseases by addressing the underlying causes of genetic disorders. Yet the high costs associated with these therapies, sometimes costing multiple millions of dollars for a single treatment, pose significant challenges for patients, payers and healthcare systems. To address this matter, a growing…
One-time gene therapy Zolgensma from Novartis shows lasting benefits for SMA patients
A gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients is making waves. Novartis (NYSE:NVS) revealed in a press release new long-term data highlighting the durability of Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) up to 7.5 years after a single treatment. The data comes from two long-term follow-up studies, LT-001 and LT-002, which examined a range of patient populations…
The next wave: 10 promising investigational antihypertensive drugs to watch
Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This review highlights ten promising antihypertensive drug candidates with the potential to address pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), resistant hypertension and uncontrolled hypertension. Aprocitentan, developed by Janssen NYSE:JNJ) and Idorsia (SIX:IDIA), is an experimental oral drug designed to treat resistant hypertension. As a dual endothelin…
The top 100 cell and gene therapy companies to watch in 2023
The cell and gene therapy sector is poised to deliver a wave of new therapies with the potential to cure rare and common diseases. As many as 13 new cell or gene therapies could be approved for use in the U.S., Europe, or both by the end of 2023. While manufacturing and regulatory challenges remain,…
Iptacopan from Novartis could become preferred therapy for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
Novartis (NYSE: NVS) recently announced that the pivotal iptacopan Phase 3 APPLY-PNH trial met both its primary and most secondary endpoints in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). The company recently presented the data at this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting. Almost all iptacopan recipients had blood-transfusion independence and had clinically meaningful patient-reported-fatigue improvements. There…
Novartis mulls spinning off ophthalmology and respiratory divisions
As part of its ongoing restructuring efforts, Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) is reportedly considering selling its ophthalmology and respiratory businesses, according to Bloomberg. Private equity firms are reportedly sizing up the business units. According to the company’s website, its core therapeutic areas are cardiovascular, hematology, solid tumors, immunology and neuroscience. Novartis’s ophthalmology division focuses on various therapies…
Novartis announces tislelizumab helped extend median overall survival in first-line advanced esophageal cancer
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has announced that chemotherapy plus tislelizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against PD-1, improved overall survival as a first-line treatment for adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the Phase 3 RATIONALE 306 study. The survival benefits were seen in patients regardless of PD-L1 status. The…
Novartis to cut up to 8,000 positions
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has announced a restructuring plan that will result in up to 8,000 layoffs internationally, including 1,400 in Switzerland. The cuts would equate to 7.4% of its workforce. Novartis currently has approximately 108,000 employees. The Basel, Switzerland–based company aims to save approximately $1 billion in operating expenses by 2024. In April, Novartis hinted…
Novartis reveals positive Phase 3 data for tislelizumab plus chemotherapy in esophageal cancer
The Swiss Big Pharma Novartis (NYSE:NVS) announced that the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab with chemotherapy improved overall survival in patients with advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a Phase 3 study. The RATIONALE 306 trial of tislelizumab and chemotherapy met its primary endpoint at interim analysis. The study pitted the…
15 of the best pharma companies to work for
The pharmaceutical industry continues to see strong growth and is poised to have a compound annual growth rate of 13.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to projections from Grand View Research. The best pharma companies to work for continue to offer a number of advantages to skilled workers. Pharma positions remain in high demand, and…
Pharma’s top 20 R&D spenders in 2021
If 2020 underscored the importance of the pharma industry’s social importance, 2021 demonstrated the ability of R&D spenders to yield profitable commercialized products. But while strong demand for COVID-19 therapies in 2021 provided unprecedented revenue levels for a handful of Big Pharma companies, it didn’t result in substantial changes in R&D spending. (Look out for more insights…
Novartis partners with Carisma Therapeutics on manufacturing HER2-targeted CAR-M cell therapy
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has inked a deal with the biopharma Carisma Therapeutics focused on the production of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor macrophages (CAR-M) to potentially treat solid tumors. Carisma is headquartered in Philadelphia. As part of the deal, Carisma will shift manufacturing to a Novartis cell therapy site in Morris…
J&J and Roche named to Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators list
Few healthcare companies were included in the annual ranking of innovative companies from the analytics firm Clarivate plc (NYSE:CLVT). Two companies in pharma and another in medtech, however, made the cut. Johnson & Johnson was featured for the second consecutive year as a top 100 Global innovator. Roche was included for the 11th consecutive year…
Novartis to pay up to $1.5 billion to acquire Gyroscope Therapeutics
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has entered into an agreement to acquire U.K.-based Gyroscope Therapeutics, which specializes in ocular gene therapy company. The acquisition would add GT005, an investigational gene therapy for geographic atrophy, to its pipeline. Geographic atrophy is an eye-sight-threatening condition occurring in some patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Dry AMD is the most common…
Why Novartis is upbeat about the future of CAR-Ts and TCRs
The life sciences industry has just scratched the surface in terms of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy’s potential, according to a session at the Novartis Breakthrough Science media event held on November 10. CAR-T therapy, which has emerged as one of the most promising new treatments for multiple myeloma, certain lymphomas and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia,…
ConcertAI integrates with imaging technology specialist TeraRecon
Privately-held ConcertAI has formally integrated with TeraRecon, a provider of advanced visualization services, including 3D and 4D medical imaging post-processing. Cambridge, Massachusetts–based ConcertAI says the integration will expand its offerings for life science companies, which now can integrate data from electronic medical records, genomic data and medical imaging. As a result, the company can offer…
Tremfya bests Cosentyx in psoriasis study
Janssen’s Tremfya (guselkumab) generally had higher efficacy in treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis than Cosentyx (secukinumab) from Novartis, according to recent data published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. In the 48-week Phase 3 ECLIPSE study, a greater number of guselkumab recipients achieved at least a 90% and 100% improvement from baseline in Psoriasis Area and Severity…
Novartis wins FDA fast track designation for investigational osteoarthritis drug
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has received FDA fast track designation for LNA043, a potential treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. LNA043 is a modified version of the human angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3). The drug would be a potential first-in-class disease-modifying osteoarthritis therapy. Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder. In 2017, more than 300 million people internationally had either hip…
FDA to prioritize review of Novartis STAMP inhibitor asciminib for chronic myeloid leukemia
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has announced that the FDA has granted priority review for its application for allosteric inhibitor asciminib (ABL001) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The drug targets the ABL myristoyl pocket (STAMP). The priority review status could trim four months off the review time, dropping the review period to eight months from 12 months under a…
Novartis’s Kymriah fails in study focused on aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Novartis (SWX:NOVN) has announced that the genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) failed to meet the primary endpoint in its Phase 3 BELINDA trial. That endpoint involved event-free survival for people with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to standard of care. To qualify for the study, patients needed to have primary refractory disease…
FDA grants orphan drug designation to investigational Novartis drug NIS793
FDA has granted orphan drug designation for Novartis’s (SWX:NOVN) NIS793, an anti-TGF-β IgG2 monoclonal antibody. Specifically, the designation covers the use of NIS793 in conjunction with standard-of-care chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. NIS793 has been the subject of eight clinical trials for indications ranging from solid tumors to myelofibrosis. NIS793 would be a first-in-class antibody specific…
Entresto reduces risk of cardiovascular death
Entresto (sacubitril-valsartan) from Novartis is FDA indicated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in patients with chronic heart failure. Entresto remains the only FDA-approved option for patients with a variety of heart failure symptoms. A recent pilot study shows that the drug may also benefit patients with heart failure…