Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

NVS expects $2B+ annual Diovan sales after it’s off-patent in all countries:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-05/novartis-has-blockbuster-diovan-plans-after-patent-expires-1-.html

[CEO, Joe] Jimenez said that shifting Diovan’s growth focus to emerging markets in Latin America and parts of Asia, where the blood pressure medicine already competes largely without patent protection, will help keep its blockbuster status.

Diovan sales are rising in those fast-growing parts of the world even though the drug costs more than generic versions. Many patients in markets where drug counterfeiting is widespread are willing to pay more for a brand’s perceived quality [see #msg-50473238]. Jimenez figures he can expand promotion of the drug to doctors in these markets aggressively enough to retain at least $2 billion in Diovan sales worldwide.