The Supreme Court has granted a temporary emergency stay of a lower court order that Novartis Pharmaceuticals says would allow the development of as many as 20 generic versions of its commercially successful multiple-sclerosis drug, Gilenya. The emergency application in Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. v. HEC Pharm Co. Ltd., court file 22A272, was filed with the…

Novartis AG on Thursday reported two patient fatalities due to acute liver failure following treatment with Zolgensma gene therapy used to treat spinal muscular atrophy. The company has notified health authorities in markets where the drug is sold, including the FDA, and has informed relevant healthcare professionals as an additional step. “While this is important…

A U.S. appeals court overruled its prior decision, deciding that the patent for Novartis AG’s blockbuster drug Gilenya was invalid. The decision dealt a blow against the Swiss pharmaceutical company as it potentially paves the way for the introduction of cheaper generic versions of the drug. Though the drug made $2.8 billion in 2021 globally,…

ZURICH—Novartis said on Tuesday a previously announced restructuring program could lead to 8,000 jobs being cut, or about 7.4 percent of its global workforce, including up to 1,400 in Switzerland. The job cuts, previously projected by Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan to be in the “single digit thousands,” are part of a restructuring program the Swiss…

Novartis said on Jan. 10 that positive data from a clinical trial of COVID-19 therapeutic drug ensovibep has prompted the firm to exercise an option to in-licence the antiviral from development partner Molecular Partners and later seek emergency use approval from U.S. regulators. In a statement, Novartis confirmed plans to pay around $163 million to…

ZURICH—Novartis AG said on Tuesday a U.S. court of appeals upheld the validity of a dosage regimen patent for its multiple sclerosis treatment Gilenya, allowing a permanent injunction against Chinese generic drugmaker HEC Pharma to stay in place until the patent expires in 2027. “This decision confirms the validity of the patent and allows that…

ZURICH—Novartis has signed an option, collaboration, and license agreement with BeiGene Ltd for anti-cancer therapy ociperlimab (BGB-A1217) to expand its activities in immuno-oncology, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday. Under terms of the agreement, Novartis will make an upfront payment to BeiGene of $300 million and pay a fee of up to $700 million if…

ZURICH—Roche shareholders voted overwhelmingly on Friday to support the $20.7 billion deal to buy Novartis’s nearly one third voting stake, the Swiss drugmaker said. Roche held an extraordinary general meeting to settle matters related to its plan to disentangle the two pharma companies, both based in Basel, who had been linked by the investment for…