Novartis shows off pipeline - including 25 potential blockbusters

Novartis has showcased its pipeline at its annual meet-the-management day, where investors and analysts got to hear company leaders give an overview of its drug pipeline.

CEO Vas Narasimhan reiterated the company’s strategy, focusing on advanced therapies and digital to drive profits in the future.

According to Narasimhan, the company has more than 25 potential blockbusters in its pipeline.

Psoriasis drug Cosentyx and heart failure drug Entresto are leading the charge among the company’s already-approved drugs.

But over the next two years Novartis is preparing five potential billion-dollars-a-year drugs – Mayzent for multiple sclerosis, and Zolgensma for spinal muscular atrophy, brolucizumab in ophthalmology, cancer drug ofatumumab, and asthma drug fevipiprant.

There are a further six major data readouts later this year, including for Entresto, fevipiprant, and the first combination with Novartis’ PD-1 spartalizumab in metastatic melanoma.

Super-expensive gene therapy Zolgensma is under regulatory review with the FDA in spinal muscular atrophy type 1 – and this will be followed by launches in type 2 and 3 disease in 2021.

This year also could see the launch of Novartis’ new breast cancer drug BYL719, which Novartis outlined in a presentation.

The first launch of a combination therapy involving spartalizumab is slated for 2020 in metastatic melanoma, and another potential launch next year is asthma drug QVM149, which has just bested GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair and placebo at phase 2, with phase 3 results pending.

Also scheduled for launch next year if regulatory reviews are favourable is crizanlizumab, originally developed by one of Novartis’ acquisitions Selexys, for sickle cell disease.

Feviviprant is slated for launch in 2021, along with radioligand cancer therapy Lu-PSMA-61.

Narasimhan said: “Novartis is on track to become a leading medicines company powered by advanced therapy platforms and data science, and is on track to deliver sustained accretive growth.

“We are developing and launching medicines that can change the standard of care in devastating diseases. Our pipeline is industry-leading with more than 25 potential blockbusters and this pace of innovation positions Novartis well for the future.”