$NVS

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) faced a 11% share drop, erasing 2026 gains, after clinical trial failures. Top shareholder Artisan Partners called for board changes to improve M&A oversight. CEO Vas Narasimhan was praised, but concerns were raised about dealmaking. Novartis maintains financial guidance and has other pipeline programs, like remibrutinib, in development.

Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, and other centers are expanding theranostics programs for cancer treatment, focusing on prostate, neuroendocrine, and thyroid cancers. FDA approvals have expanded eligible patient groups, with Pluvicto and Lutathera being key drugs. The treatments require specific scans and are only available at licensed nuclear medicine sites, limiting accessibility.

Boomray Pharmaceuticals and Novartis agreed to a global licence deal for a preclinical radioligand therapy, potentially worth USD900 million. Boomray may receive upfront and milestone payments, plus royalties on future sales. Fangda Partners and Morrison Foerster advised on the transaction.

Novartis (NOVN) has secured an exclusive global license for a preclinical radioligand therapy asset from BoomRay Pharmaceuticals. The deal expands Novartis' oncology pipeline, focusing on targeted cancer treatments. The asset is in early development, with clinical progress being a key metric for investors. Novartis aims to leverage advanced therapies to support future earnings and offset patent expiries and pricing pressures.

Novartis won dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit filed by a union health fund. The suit alleged Novartis improperly listed a patent in the FDA's Orange Book to extend its monopoly on the heart drug Entresto. The union claimed the patent did not specifically cover Entresto's unique combination of ingredients.

Novartis' Phase 3 trial for Pelacarsen showed it lowered lipoprotein(a) but failed to reduce major cardiovascular events. Citi suggests this may influence CRISPR Therapeutics' focus on CTX321 over CTX320, while Ionis Pharmaceuticals may see limited impact. Citi maintains Buy ratings for both companies with price targets of $88 for CRISPR and $100 for Ionis.

Novartis won a lawsuit alleging it improperly listed a patent to delay generic competition for Entresto, its heart-failure drug. Judge Liman dismissed the case, agreeing the patent was properly listed. Entresto sales fell 42% to $1.31B in Q1 2026 after patent expiration and generic entry, accounting for 14% of Novartis's prior-year sales.

Nine European pharmaceutical giants, including Sanofi and AstraZeneca, urge Europe to boost competitiveness. They cite $600B in U.S. and China investments, warning of losing ground to global rivals. The companies highlight the sector's historical success and call for government action.

European drugmakers, including AstraZeneca, GSK, and Novartis, called for increased government spending, faster trials, and stronger IP protections to compete with the US and China. They warned of a decline in Europe's pharmaceutical industry, citing a drop in R&D share and clinical trials. Europe spends 1% of GDP on pharmaceuticals, compared to 2% in the US and 1.8% in China. Industry experts highlight slower European policies as a concern for investment decisions.

Novo Nordisk and Novartis reported failures in clinical trials for heart drugs targeting inflammation and lipoprotein A, despite the drugs effectively lowering these risk factors. Both drugs showed no better outcomes than placebos in preventing cardiovascular complications and deaths, suggesting these factors may be markers, not causes, of heart disease. The results may slow future drug development in this area.