Novartis net profits jump 29% in first half

Novartis Unveils New Chief Financial Officer for 2026

Basel‑based pharma Novartis announced a 29 % rise in first‑half net income, reaching $7.6 billion, and revealed its upcoming CFO transition.

• First‑half sales climbed 12 % to nearly $27.3 billion.
• Generic competition trimmed sales by 2 %.
• Entresto, the flagship heart‑failure drug, generated $4.6 billion, up 22 %.
• Kisqali and Pluvicto also demonstrated robust performance.

Vas Narasimhan, Novartis CEO, highlighted strong results from Entresto and other oncology therapies.

CFO succession

Mukul Mehta, Novartis’ head of business planning and digital finance, will assume the CFO role in March 2026, succeeding Harry Kirsch, who has served since 2013 and is retiring after 22 years.