More than 10 Novartis projects to move into Phase III within two years

Even after the approval of five new molecular entities (NME) in 2019, the drug launches and pipeline progress at Novartis (NOVN: VX) show no sign of letting up.

The Swiss pharma giant held an investor event in London on Thursday to provide an update on the latest progress in its R&D pipeline, which the company claims – with some justification – is the best in the industry.

"The near-term brings yet another catalyst-rich period with pipeline progress across the portfolio that can sustain long-term growth"Such claims are backed up by figures showing that Novartis has 60 projects at Phase II stage, with more than 10 of these due to move into Phase III or pivotal studies in 2020 and 2021. More than 90% are projected to be first-in-class or first-in-indication.