Under CEO Vas Narasimhan, Novartis has slimmed down what was a sprawling conglomerate spanning prescription and generic drugs, eye care and consumer healthcare. The drugmaker sold its stake in a consumer health joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline in 2018 and, a year later, spun off its eye care unit Alcon as a independent company.
Tuesday’s announcement of a strategic review for Sandoz, meanwhile, follows a failed bid by Novartis to sell about 300 of its products to India’s Aurobindo Pharma, a deal that was terminated after U.S. regulators refused to sign off.
“The review will explore all options, ranging from retaining the business to separation, in order to determine how to best maximize value for our shareholders,” Novartis said in a statement.
In a conference call, Narasimhan said the company would provide an update on progress “at the latest by the end of next year.” READ MORE
Ned Pagliarulo
Source: biopharmadive.com
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