‘Solid’ start for Novartis
pharmafile | April 30, 2013 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Novartis, Q1, sales
Novartis’ sales of pharma products were unchanged in the first quarter of 2013 at $7.9 billion, with pricing flat, the company says.
Overall, Novartis says $500 million in patent losses was more than offset by new growth in the first quarter of 2013, as it posted a 2% year-on-year rise in group sales to $14 billion.
These brighter spots included Gilenya, Afinitor, Tasigna, Galvus, Lucentis, Xolair, Arcapta Neohaler/Onbrez Breezhaler and Jakavi, a new treatment for patients with myelofibrosis.
Together they accounted for sales of $4.2 billion – 30% of group net sales for the quarter.
Net profit for Q1 was also up, rising 7% to $2.4 billion, and Novartis chief executive Joseph Jimenez praised what he called a ‘solid’ start to the year.
This will be a relief since the company had already warned of a fall in profit in 2013 as loss of exclusivity on various products – in particular its former top-earning blood pressure drug Diovan – takes $3.5 billion off sales.
In 2012 an absence of shipments from Novartis’ manufacturing site in Lincoln, Nebraska, put a huge dent in the company’s consumer health operation as well as vaccines and diagnostics sales.
In the first three months of 2013, consumer health sales rose 6% – compared to the same period in 2012 – to $987 million.
Vaccines and diagnostics were also up 9% to $327 million, due to bulk pediatric shipments, a strong influenza late season in the US and pre-pandemic sales – although this healthy activity merely reduces the division’s operating loss for Q1 to $157 million.
A key approval of meningitis vaccine Bexsero in Europe has given the company some relief.
“Our focus on innovation continued to pay off, with eight approvals in the EU and US, and an FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for LDK378 in lung cancer,” said Jimenez.
Novartis’ Alcon subsidiary saw delivered a 1% rise in net sales to $2.6 billion but warns that equipment sales “are expected to remain soft ahead of a refresh of the portfolio later in the year”.
Meanwhile operating income at generics business Sandoz fell 16% to $251 million, due to $79 million of provisions for legal issues.
Adam Hill
Related Content
Novartis receives SMC approval for early breast cancer treatment
Novartis has announced that its treatment for early breast cancer, Kisqali (ribociclib), has received approval …
Novartis candidate for Sjögren’s disease presents positive results
Novartis has reported positive results from two phase 3 clinical trials – NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2 …
First malaria medicine for infants under 4.5kg receives approval
Coartem (artemether-lumefantrine) Baby, or Riamet, has been approved by Swissmedic as the first malaria medicine …
