Novartis MS pill beats older drug in trials, boosts pipeline hopes

The trial results mark the first success from three closely watched Novartis pipeline programmes due to deliver data this year. Investors are focused on remibrutinib, heart drug pelacarsen and gene therapy del-desiran, which together are seen generating more than $10 billion in peak annual sales and underpinning the company's long-term growth.

Novartis is seeking to replenish its drug pipeline as it faces revenue pressure from generic competition to blockbuster heart-failure drug Entresto.

Shares of the company rose 4% on Tuesday as investors looked past safety updates related to its CAR-T therapy studies following the death of three patients. The stock is up 17% so far this year.

"Overall, remi looks like it is at least a best-in-class oral agent," UBS analyst Matt Weston wrote in a note.

He said the combination of strong relapse prevention and an improved liver safety profile made choosing remibrutinib over rivals "a no-brainer".