Novartis could expand direct-to-patient sales in US, CEO says

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By Bhanvi Satija

LONDON (Reuters) -Swiss drugmaker Novartis is exploring options to add more medicines to its direct-to-patient platform that is expected to launch in the U.S. on November 1, CEO Vas Narasimhan told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

“We’re certainly looking to see if we can add other medicines to the platform,” Narasimhan said, while cautioning that “no concrete plans” were yet confirmed.

Pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure on the industry to slash drug prices and to cut out middlemen like pharmacies, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers.

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As a result, drugmakers are ramping up efforts to simplify how patients in the U.S. access medicines. Rival Roche has launched direct-to-consumer U.S. sales of its influenza antiviral pill Xofluza at a discounted cash price of $50.

Novartis said last month that it would sell some units of its anti-inflammatory drug Cosentyx at a 55% discount to the list price to cash-paying patients in the United States.

Peers including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Germany’s Merck KGaA have already struck deals with the U.S. government to sell drugs direct to patients at a discount, with some securing import tariff exemptions.

Under its “most favoured nation” policy, the U.S. government wants drugmakers to charge Americans no more than in other wealthy nations.

Narasimhan said that Novartis was in discussions with the U.S. administration “every week” to find solutions to lower costs for patients, but did not provide details.

Earlier on Tuesday, the drugmaker’s third quarter results showed that sales growth for its blockbuster heart drug Entresto had stalled as it comes under pressure from cheaper generics, sending the firm’s shares down more than 3%.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in London and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt. Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark Potter)