Novartis’s operating income grew 123% in Q3 with Entresto

Supported by the surge in sales of Entresto

Rises 10% YoY… Entresto tops sales, posting KRW 2.5 trillion

New drugs including Leqvio, Fabhalta were released…immunosuppressant Cosentyx also shows good performance

The Swiss global pharmaceutical giant Novartis' sales increased slightly compared to the previous year.

 

Novartis showed even sales growth in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, anticancer, and immunosuppressive agents.

 

According to industry sources, Novartis reported a revenue of USD 12.823 billion in Q3 last year, up 10% YoY.

 

The company’s operating income was approximately USD 3.627 billion, a 123% increase YoY.

 

The largest revenue generator in Q3 was the heart failure drug Entresto.

 

Entresto generated USD 1.865 billion in revenue, up 26% YoY.

 

Entresto is an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) class heart failure drug and is the only innovative drug that works directly on the heart.

 

Its strength lies in its ability to be used as a first-line treatment for heart failure in combination with other medicines, including SGLT-2 inhibitors.

 

Entresto’s sales have continuously increased with additional indications.

 

Entresto was initially approved for use in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, defined as a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less.

 

Through clinical trials, Novartis has been successful in expanding the indication of Entresto to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

 

Novartis' biologic treatment Cosentyx generated the second-largest revenue.

 

Cosentyx generated sales of USD 1.693 billion, up 28% YoY.

 

Cosentyx, which targets anti-interleukin (IL)-17, is effective in a wide range of inflammatory diseases and has emerged as a competitor to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors such as Humira and Remicade.

 

The highest sales growth rate was seen in the PCSK9 inhibitor Leqvio.

 

Leqvio’s sales totaled $198 million, a 119% year-over-year increase.

 

Leqvio is a first-in-class siRNA drug approved in Korea, the U.S., and Europe.

 

Leqvio uses naturally occurring siRNA to reduce LDL-C in the blood by inhibiting the production of the PCSK9 protein, which raises LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C).

 

Leqvio has been shown to reduce LDL-C by up to 57% with twice-yearly dosing.

 

The rise in sales of the prostate cancer drug Pluvicto was also notable.

 

The company reported Q3 sales of USD 386 million, a 50% YoY increase.

 

Pluvicto is a radiopharmaceutical Notavis acquired through the acquisition of US-based Endocytein in 2018.

 

Sales of Pluvicto, which was introduced to the market in 2022, surpassed USD 200 million (KRW 260 billion) the same year.

 

Since then, it has continued to grow, reaching nearly USD 1 billion (about KRW 1.3 trillion) in sales last year.

 

Sales of the breast cancer drug Kisqali increased 43% year-on-year.

 

Kisqali is a CDK4/6 inhibitor that targets HR+/HER2- breast cancer.

 

The fact that it was the first CDK4/6 inhibitor to be prescribed to premenopausal women contributed to its rapid market growth.

 

According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, Kisqali is recommended as a Category 1 in the first-line treatment of HR+/HER2- peri-menopausal breast cancer patients.

 

In addition to its strong cardiovascular, oncology, and immunosuppressive pipeline, Novartis is also actively pursuing radiopharmaceuticals and cell therapies to reinforce its portfolio.

 

Earlier this year, Novartis acquired the Dutch immunotherapy company Calypso Biotech for USD 425 million (about KRW 560 billion).

 

Calypso owns a cell therapy candidate, ‘CALY-002,’ with other monoclonal antibodies in development for various immune disorders.