Novartis expects a more difficult pricing environment for drugs in the United States in the years ahead, its chief executive told a results conference call on Tuesday.
“We expect pricing to become more difficult in the U.S. over the next three to five years,” Joe Jimenez said.
Both major U.S. presidential candidates have cited concern about drug pricing.
Swiss rival Roche’s Chief Executive Severin Schwan had said last week he did not see a “fundamental change” in U.S. price pressure after the Nov. 8 presidential election, regardless of which candidate wins.
Jimenez also said Novartis was on track to reach $1 billion sales in biosimilars this year. He said Novartis would focus on bolt-on acquisitions and a larger deal would be considered only if it was “very attractive” to Novartis, he said.
By Silke Koltrowitz and Paul Arnold
Source: Reuters
Avivi joins Bayer fresh off a yearlong stint as chief marketing officer of Advance Auto Parts, which followed about three years spent as marketing chief of another auto parts company, Tenneco. Rounding out her nearly 30-year career in marketing are leadership roles at consumer goods giants Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble.
Air Liquide S.A. (Paris) is continuing its development with the acquisition of Homecare activities in Belgium and the Netherlands. The two entities acquired in Belgium and the Netherlands support 10,000 patients living with respiratory insufficiency, sleep apnea syndrome or requiring infusion or nutrition treatments.
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay approximately $4.9 billion in cash to acquire Alpine Immune Sciences, a compatriot biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing innovative, protein-based immunotherapies.
