Novartis Fails To Block Heart Failure Drug’s Generic From Launching Through 2026: Report

A Delaware federal judge on Friday reportedly said that Novartis (NVS) cannot block India-based drugmaker MSN Pharmaceuticals from launching a generic version of its heart failure drug Entresto before its patent expires late next year.

The judge rejected Novartis’ argument that the generic would infringe on one of the company’s patents, Reuters reported. U.S. District Judge Richard Andrews also denied Novartis’ request to block the generic from launching until after the patent expires in November 2026.

NYSE-listed shares of Novartis were trading 2% lower at the time of writing.

Novartis told Reuters in a statement that it plans to appeal.

The company told the court in a filing on Friday that MSN may receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for the generic as soon as July 16 and launch it soon after, cutting into the market for Entresto.

Entresto is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with long-lasting (chronic) heart failure to help reduce the risk of death and hospitalization. It was Novartis’s best-selling brand in the first quarter.

The company reported $2.26 billion in net sales for the drug, marking a growth of 22% at constant currency. The drug, in fact, accounted for over 17% of the company’s overall net sales in the period.

The company said in April that the drug had sustained, robust, demand-led growth globally in the quarter, including in China and Japan, with increased penetration in hypertension.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Novartis remained unmoved in the ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours while message volume stayed unchanged at ‘normal’ levels.

NVS stock is up by about 25% this year and by about 10% over the past 12 months.

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