Swiss pharma giant Novartis bets on a breast cancer blockbuster as sales rise
Key Takeaways
Sales of breast cancer drug Kisqali grew 100% in the U.S. in the three months to June.
Article Overview
Quick insights and key information
4 min read
Estimated completion
investment
Article classification
July 17, 2025
01:10 PM
CNBC
Original publisher
What caught my attention is Novartis said Thursday that it expects its Kisqali breast cancer treatment to be the next blockbuster drug within its portfolio
The Swiss pharma firm is looking to shift reliance away from its Entresto heart failure therapy (noteworthy indeed)
Global breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are jected to increase by 2050, according to the World Health Organization
In this articleNOV, given current economic conditions
N-CH your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTBoxes of tablets, duced by Novartis AG, sit on a pharmacy counter
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSwiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis said Thursday that it expects its Kisqali breast cancer treatment to be the next blockbuster drug within its portfolio, as it looks to shift reliance away from its Entresto heart failure therapy
Sales of Kisqali, which treats metastatic breast cancer, surged 64% globally on a constant currency basis in the three months to June, the company said in its second-quarter sales report (which is quite significant) (something worth watching)
Furthermore, Conversely, That includes 100% growth in the U
At the same time, It s a 56% increase in Kisqali sales in the first quarter to March
On the other hand, Speaking on an earnings call, CEO Vas Narasimhan said Kisqali was the drug with the greatest scope for outperformance, in this volatile climate
However, Global breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are jected to increase by 2050, according to the World Health Organization's cancer agency, with 1 in 20 women worldwide expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, in today's market environment
That could translate to 3. 2 million new cases and 1
Nevertheless, 1 million deaths a year worldwide by 2050 if current trends continue, the study found — significantly higher than 2022's 2 (something worth watching)
Moreover, 3 million new cases and 670,000-related deaths
Conversely, Narasimhan also cited Novartis' "strong pipeline" of other drugs, including its Pluvicto state cancer treatment and Scemblix for chronic myeloid leukemia, which he said was also "on track to be a blockbuster
At the same time, ""We continue to drive strong performance on our launches for Kisqali, Pluvicto, and Scemblix, demonstrating the replacement power in our portfolio," he added in a statement accompanying the results (which is quite significant), in today's financial world
On the other hand, Watch now2:3802:38Novartis raises outlook on strong second-quarter salesSquawk Box EuropeThe s come as Novartis seeks to shake its reliance on its top-selling Entreso heart failure drug, which faces U
Nevertheless, Patent expiry next year
Additionally, Conversely, Entresto brought in $7
Moreover, Meanwhile, 8 billion in 2024, accounting for around 15% of the company's overall global sales
It said Thursday that it expects generic drug makers to begin ducing copycat versions of the drug by mid-2025, although that timeline is "subject to IP [intellectual perty] and regulatory litigation. "On Wednesday, a U
Furthermore, Federal judge rejected Novartis' request for a preliminary injunction to stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic version of the drug before the patent expires
Sales of Entresto rose 22% in the second quarter, in line with the prior three-month period. "Short-term it's an important duct for us," outgoing chief financial officer Harry Kirsch said of Entresto Thursday (which is quite significant). "We have IP that we're defending
Furthermore, Should we be successful in further defending our appeal, each month we'll have some nice significant upside," he added
Meanwhile, Overall, Novartis' second-quarter net sales rose 11% on a constant currency basis to $14. 05 billion, just shy of the $14
Moreover, 18 billion estimated by analysts in an LSEG poll
Quarterly adjusted core operating income, meanwhile, rose 21% to $5, in light of current trends. 93 billion, slightly above the $5. 69 billion expected (something worth watching)
Novartis said it now expects full-year core operating income to grow by "low teens," up from "low double-digit" previously, while it retained its forecast for sales growth in the high single digits
The evidence shows company also announced an up to $10 billion buyback, citing "confidence" in its mid- and long-term growth.
Related Articles
More insights from FinancialBooklet