Novartis reports higher second-quarter sales and lower profit

Swiss pharmaceuticals group Novartis said its sales exceeded expectations in the second quarter of 2026, helped by a range of new products.

The Basel-based company said sales from April to June rose by three percent from the same period in 2025 to $14.4 billion, or 12.6 billion euros. That was slightly above the $14 billion forecast by analysts polled by Swiss agency AWP.

Novartis is facing the expiry of patents for several drugs, including Entresto, a heart failure treatment. The company said Entresto generated $7.7 billion in annual sales in 2025, although its sales had already fallen sharply in the fourth quarter after its United States patent expired in July 2025.

Novartis said Rhapsido, a treatment for chronic rashes, has generated $64 million in sales. The drug was approved in the United States last September and in the European Union at the end of April.

Net profit fell by 19 percent to $3.2 billion. Novartis said the decline was caused by higher interest and tax expenses.

The company confirmed its 2026 targets and said it still expects low single-digit sales growth for the full year.