Sandoz is seeking an en banc rehearing of a recent appeals court decision that stands to keep its Erelzi biosimilar etanercept rival to Enbrel off the market until 2029 in the US, claiming that the ruling provides a “playbook” for originators to extend patents beyond their legitimate terms.

Sandoz has announced joint plans with the Austrian government to invest over €150m in antibiotics manufacturing.

Lutz Hegemann, chief operating officer for global health at Novartis, says the project will continue until a vaccine or curative treatments have reached the world's poorest places, not just until they are first approved in a high income country.