Novartis Settles $3.3 Billion Lawsuit as Profit Dips

  • Swiss drugmaker agrees to pay $390 million in preliminary deal
  • Core profit, sales miss analysts' estimates in quarter

Novartis 3Q Profit Missed Analysts' Estimates

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Novartis AG agreed to pay $390 million to settle a lawsuit in which the U.S. government claimed the Swiss company paid kickbacks to pharmacies to boost sales of some of its prescription drugs and reported lower-than-expected third-quarter earnings.

Europe’s biggest drugmaker reached a preliminary agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which sought $3.3 billion in fines and damages. A measure of profit called core net income fell 2 percent to $3.06 billion, missing the $3.13 billion average of 10 analyst estimates complied by Bloomberg.