Novartis Nebraska Factory Restart Delayed; OTC Sales Drop
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Novartis AG backed off a prediction that a U.S. factory will resume making products such as the athlete’s foot gel Lamisil this year after shutting the facility in January because of manufacturing flaws.
Consumer-health sales plunged 22 percent in the third quarter, a fourth straight drop, because of lost revenue from the Lincoln, Nebraska, site, the Basel, Switzerland-based company said today. Novartis, Europe’s biggest drugmaker by sales, has new woes as well -- Italy and Switzerland yesterday halted sales of the company’s flu vaccines because unwanted clumps of protein were found in some doses, and Germany today withdrew some lots as well.