ZURICH, July 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis said Tuesday that group sales exceeded expectations in the second quarter of 2026, on the back of a range of new products.

Novartis said in a statement that sales in the period from April to June rose by three percent to $14.4 billion (12.6 billion euros), compared with the second quarter of 2025.

That was slightly higher than the $14 billion forecast by analysts polled by Swiss agency AWP.

The Basel-based group is facing the expiry of patents for a number of its drugs, including Entresto, a flagship treatment for heart failure.

In 2025, Entresto alone generated annual sales of $7.7 billion, even though its sales had already fallen sharply in the fourth quarter after its patent expired in the United States in July of that year.

Rhapsido, a treatment for chronic rashes that was approved in the US last September and then in the European Union at the end of April, has already generated $64 million in sales, Novartis said.

Net profit fell by 19 percent to $3.2 billion, hit by higher interest and tax expenses, the group explained.

Novartis confirmed its targets for 2026 and said it is still aiming for "low single-digit" sales growth for the whole year.