Novartis said in August that it plans to spin off its generics unit Sandoz to sharpen its focus on its patented prescription medicines.
Swiss drugmaker Novartis reported a 6% gain in fourth-quarter adjusted net income on Wednesday, helped by cost cuts and strong growth of recently launched drugs.
Core net income for the quarter came in at $3.13 billion, it said in a statement, missing analysts' estimate of about $3.3 billion, as per LSEG data.
Novartis also extended its mid-term guidance, saying it expected sales to grow 5% per year until 2028, when adjusting for currency swings.
CEO Vas Narasimhan previously led a push to cut jobs and focus on fewer therapeutic areas and geographic markets, before spinning off and listing generic drugs business Sandoz late last year.
Persons:
Sandoz, Vas Narasimhan
Organizations:
Novartis