Novartis income drops 42 pct in Q3 after sale a year earlier

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis says net income fell 42 per cent in the third quarter, largely due to the sale of its hepatitis drug unit a year earlier and provisions for legal settlements and fees.
The company says the integration of businesses from a multibillion-dollar product exchange with rival GlaxoSmithKline earlier this year is on track.
Net income fell to USD 1.81 billion from USD 3.1 billion a year earlier, when it earned money on the sale of shares of Idenix Pharmaceuticals to Merck.
Net sales rose 6 per cent to USD 12.3 billion when discounting currency fluctuations.
Net sales in its pharmaceuticals unit rose 7 per cent by that measure, but generic competition for its Diovan monotherapy and Exforge high blood pressure treatments and Exelon Patch, an Alzheimer's treatment, had a negative impact.