Novartis

Countries across Europe are reporting shortages of antibiotics as demand for the medicines rises and manufacturers grapple with supply-chain snags.Amoxicillin, cephalosporins and other widely used antibiotics are in short supply, data from various countries show, raising concerns among doctors and officials about the availability of drugs that are relied on to treat conditions ranging from ear infections to pneumonia. Health groups and manufacturers attribute the shortages to several factors. Demand has rebounded…

Novartis, a once-sprawling healthcare conglomerate, is looking to focus on so-called innovative medicines and cutting-edge technologies. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/REUTERS…

Until recently, the gene therapy Zolgensma was the most expensive drug ever approved in the U.S. Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)The U.S. healthcare system is, to put it lightly, a complete trash fire. Compared to people living in other well-off countries, Americans are overall sicker and die at a younger age. Adding insult to injury, Americans also have to pay more for their health care, and a large part of that added cost comes from high-priced prescription drugs and other treatments.In mid-August, President Biden…

The once lucrative heart-drug market is now poised to make a comeback, but at the cost of heavy investments in research and deal making.After watching lower-priced generics seize sales of once-highflying blood-pressure, cholesterol and other heart drugs, companies struggled to discover replacements and then win reimbursement for five-figure prices. Drugmakers are now rolling out new medicines, though their commercial prospects are uncertain. Novartis AG recently launched a new…

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartissaid it plans to shed as many as 8,000 jobs globally, including 1,400 in Switzerland, as part of a previously disclosed restructuring plan aimed at saving some $1 billion in costs.The cuts would affect 7.4% of Novartis’s jobs globally and 12% of its Switzerland-based workers, the company said in a statement. Novartis employs some 108,000 people globally and 11,600 in Switzerland. The company said in a statement that the new structure would “accelerate growth, strengthen pipeline and…