Novartis sees no 2012 revenue slippage despite Diovan and Tekturna
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Novartis believes its sales this year can match those of 2011, despite the expiry of the patent on its best-selling antihypertensive drug Diovan (valsartan) and the unwelcome trial results late last year for the newer antihypertensive Tekturna/Rasilez (aliskiren), which has led to the company advising doctors to avoid using it in certain patients. The upbeat forecast came as the Swiss group reported a 4% increase in fourth-quarter sales to $14.8 billion and a 16% increase in full-year sales to $48.6 billion for 2011.