Novartis lifts 2023 earnings forecast for third time

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Novartis on Tuesday raised its full-year earnings forecast for the third time on strong drug sales, after its generic drugs business Sandoz (SIX:SDZ) was spun off and listed on Oct 4.

The Swiss drugmaker said in a statement that it expects group core operating income to grow by a percentage of “mid to high teens” in 2023, up from “low double-digit to mid teens” predicted previously.

Third-quarter group sales rose 12% to $11.78 billion, excluding contributions from Sandoz, above an analyst consensus of $11.25 billion provided by the company.

Adjusted operating profit increased 17% to $4.41 billion, surpassing the average analyst estimate of $4.18 billion.

Among products driving the performance, revenues from psoriasis and arthritis drug Cosentyx gained 4% to a better-than-expected $1.33 billion.

The drugmaker will be more dependent on its drug development abilities after the separation and stock market debut of the Sandoz division.