Novartis wants to beat its opponents in the $ 10bn cancer treatment market

Novartis hopes to strengthen its initial lead in the $ 10bn market for a new type of cancer treatment, called novel radioligand therapy, following the positive results of its trials.

Vas Narasimhan, Novartis chief executive said the pharmaceutical company has great potential to create products and relationships with hospitals, which need to invest in support services, which could lead to a “good practice” when competitors find it difficult to relinquish control over the company.

“We hope that, in the next decade, it could be $ 10bn plus the market,” he told the Financial Times. “When you look at cancer that can be treated, you have a chance to keep growing.”

First discovered by astronomers from CERN, a European nuclear research institute, radioligand therapy provides radiation to tumors through infusion, which is more controlled than a simple radiotherapy tool. Novartis bought a scientific company, Advanced Accelerator Applications, for $ 3.9bn in 2018.

Narasimhan said the test results, which were published last month, were “extremely surprising”. In a third phase of the treatment of prostate cancer, Novartis found that it reduced the risk of death by 38%, compared with appropriate care.

The company plans to offer government-approved services to the US and EU in the second half of the year. It develops tests on previous treatments for prostate cancer and examines their use with other cancers, including lung and brain.

But the treatment will require complex infrastructure, just in time to get to the hospital and the patients who live alone when they receive it.

Narasimhan said he thinks there could be thousands or hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer patients, and urged hospitals to spread to the area.

“We think prostate cancer is the one that can help us have the most attention,” she said.

Narasimhan has expanded Novartis’ interest in new medicines, which include innovations and challenges in providing Kymriah, cancer treatment, and Zolgensma, the world’s most expensive anti-inflammatory drug.

The increase in blockbuster sales helped Novartis meet expectations for earnings by a quarter in the second quarter. Entresto sales, due to heart failure, rose 46 percent on average, while Cosentyx, which specializes in conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis, rose by 21%.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company also claims to sell for $ 13bn, up 14% annually, and more than $ 12.5bn. Profits on all shares were $ 1.66, higher than the average net worth of $ 1.52. The total cost was $ 2.9bn.

The cost of oncology treatment increased by 7% on a regular basis, as other medical procedures began to approach the spread of cancer epidemics, which he was confused aimed at helping Covid-19 patients.

Novartis also reaffirmed the 2021 year-old target for herbal sales to grow in the low to medium lines and start-up costs to increase between numbers. Map estimates that coronavirus inhibitors will be reduced in the second half.

“I think the medical community is well aware that, in the end, there were more people dying from heart disease in more countries than Covid, and then, cancer, deaths that are closer to Covid’s death,” Narasimhan said.

But he warned that the level of care could change as a result of the “Delta rise and fall”, which is leading to more people accessing hospitals in many countries.