Impossible to ignore Novartis' beautiful big picture

Big pharma companies’ quarterly and annual results are rarely as relevant as those of retailers, airlines and many other big firms because of the tendency of the industry and investors to look many years ahead of the present day.

If there was ever evidence of a pharma company that has consistently kept an eye on the bigger picture, then it is Novartis (NOVN: VX), the Swiss firm with a pipeline which, by many accounts, is the best in pharma, with a depth and breadth that looks likely to bring growth even when the current broad and relatively de-risked portfolio of marketed therapies starts to age.

At least 10 potential blockbusters are due to launched in the next two years, with 26 in confirmatory development and 60 major submissions planned from 2019 to 2021.