Novartis Boost Seen in Fast Approvals as Protection Ends
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Just as Novartis AG’s best-selling medicines are losing patent protection, the company is poised to get a revenue boost from a U.S. program designed to speed life-saving therapies to patients with few treatment options.
Novartis, Europe’s biggest drugmaker, plans to seek approval to sell a new lung-cancer treatment as soon as next year after winning a “breakthrough” designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The breakthrough program is a response to demands from doctors and patients for quicker access to medicines under development.