# Novartis CEO keeps faith in Avidity deal despite taking $1.9B hit from del-desiran fail

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-10-28 10:40 UTC · Category: Business

## Executive Summary
Novartis maintains guidance and long-term goals despite absorbing multi-billion dollar writedowns from trial setbacks.

## Intelligence Brief
Recent reporting from outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters, Fierce Pharma, Fierce Biotech, and FirstWord Pharma details a significant financial and clinical moment for Novartis. According to coverage, the company has taken a financial hit following drug-trial setbacks, specifically noting a 1.9 billion dollar writedown on a key drug after a blockbuster Avidity acquisition due to a del-desiran failure. In total, coverage states that Novartis booked hits reaching up to 2.2 billion dollars from various drug trial setbacks. Despite these substantial financial adjustments and clinical failures, the company has elected to lift its annual profit guidance and raise overall financial guidance, while the chief executive officer remains unfazed and maintains long-term revenue goals. The coverage heavily emphasizes the contrast between these high-profile clinical failures and the pharmaceutical giant's resilient financial outlook. The Financial Times and FirstWord Pharma specifically focus on the nineteen-digit writedown connected to the del-desiran failure stemming from the Avidity acquisition.


Meanwhile, sources such as Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and Fierce Pharma place equal weight on the concurrent decision by Novartis to raise its annual profit guidance. Fierce Biotech zeroes in on the leadership response, detailing how the chief executive officer maintains faith in the underlying Avidity deal despite the immediate financial consequences of the trial failure. The consensus across the reporting indicates that leadership is looking past the immediate setbacks to preserve long-term strategic objectives. This development occurs against the backdrop of high-stakes pharmaceutical deal-making and clinical development risks. Acquisitions of this magnitude typically carry heavy financial expectations, making clinical trial failures particularly notable when they result in multi-billion dollar accounting adjustments. Coverage does not yet specify detailed future mechanisms for recovering the written-down value, but it establishes that the broader corporate machinery at Novartis is absorbing the blow without altering its overarching financial targets.


The juxtaposition of a 1.9 billion dollar or 2.2 billion dollar loss alongside upwardly revised guidance highlights the scale at which major drugmakers operate, where individual pipeline failures can run into billions without breaking the annual fiscal forecast. As the situation progresses, observers will be monitoring how Novartis executes its long-term revenue goals following the del-desiran failure and the Avidity acquisition fallout. Coverage indicates that market participants will be watching whether the raised annual profit guidance holds up through subsequent quarters despite the substantial writedowns already booked. Additionally, followers of the pharmaceutical sector will look for further updates from leadership regarding how they plan to navigate future clinical milestones after weathering these recent high-profile setbacks. For now, the available reporting outlines a corporate strategy firmly committed to its pre-existing trajectory despite substantial pipeline turbulence.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| BioSpace | Novartis faces $1.9B hit from Avidity fail but maintains confidence in $12B buy | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMisAFBVV95cUxNOHM4bGdqeXVhVnJaMjBmSEdXMlo2ODJYU3RiT2RfRURldGo2ejFnajJLejE3SHJXZmdNclJwQllHdVZuTmNmOTM0U3AybzI4ZEs1R3VHamZ3WEtnMkF6bGRUVFpKUUxWdHNJQjN6M2lOdWNlbWFtS0RpUW9EQ3Z4QXlxcWYtc19BSnpVSE9SdzhXU1hDZHVWMTVCTzVnWmYwYWN1Y2lrSVY4dC12S0JXSQ?oc=5) |
| WSJ | Novartis Raises Guidance Despite Drug-Trial Setbacks Hitting Profit | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxOaVFMeFV6aEp4TlZ0cGg2SVBPSVoxTlp5cnlFLTl5TU16QUtBeXNfcFFMelg3QUg2WVkwdmFpbXpqNDZYcmJxNWFJcFhNRU90MWhSdzZNejFNeVVTd21ZeHZKZnk2SU5OZWhURXpmVHpkWXJ4V01iRDh6MnBKQ1RXb2JTSjhOVmFURVF6ejlYcURla2NLUl9rcnNRMmdyVGlndlRBSTZweWpuTmU5Nmc?oc=5) |
| Fierce Pharma | Novartis CEO unfazed by high-profile clinical failures, maintains long-term revenue goal | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMivAFBVV95cUxQRkRaVUs2ME9YWGhWTXpPZTFhVS10djhocGhXbmU4Yk9hQ0dpb255Q0wzOFQwTEJaTXZMcUlPam1qcVFodzZXSXk0TlhlbTF2ZjdHcjItWlJBcEpOTTBvWkZNektWUkotb1NEbV9aNlU3bnpZUGVOeDlpbjRVX2p0ZGdJWkVMWE9FUXlDRlJPZzdEWWZyZ0NrYjQ2RG02REUzOEprNGRUbVlvRmlscXhuV1F3M2R6MWpVX2pBdw?oc=5) |
| Financial Times | Novartis takes $1.9bn writedown on key drug after blockbuster Avidity acquisition | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihAFBVV95cUxPb0JTOEdkUGhfaWJVUGxDb2RUWW1QRS1ieTY2YWdEbjktOUs5STFsOHVIbVVpbGVrc01MX0I0aTEybzRrNEswbmdOYkYwZ3lCNnpfTEQ2Zzh4aFFaN1czVUlxWldqRkVidTRmMW5GY3NOYWJTN1RQb2p1WHVWVzRzU0pCazE?oc=5) |
| FirstWord Pharma | Novartis lifts annual profit guidance despite $1.9B hit from del-desiran failure | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiU0FVX3lxTE0xVWdxRXVXcXZTMjdQeTBrSDZLczZKV3Fkam1YSWlyS1JYcHJWNmh3WHFfcHNMR2h3ak9PU2pxVWVCOG5FRFExTW85aWRfVW5FRkpz?oc=5) |
| Reuters | Novartis books $2.2 billion hit from drug trial setbacks, but lifts guidance | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixwFBVV95cUxORGNqcHZHNndLNXNGbW1HaUNsU2tDUm9aS3pLNFYtRGZPckNKbEgxcVlVRDN4QmF2dDQ4YlVZa05FRzBlcGtvNkF5Y191Vzc2cE5VaHlfMEFoLWt2RFBNc0RvUHNTQlZQQlJhR21TUEhNQXJXZlEyTUNhUXd0S1BwUWRhNG51dVpCSERJV1Rab0N0S0pFV3V5RUFRNmd6RzNuWWVGTVZKRjJaaUpSYXlPNFlzZm12YTQyWDNCWng1UUpYR3hVYlUw?oc=5) |
| Fierce Biotech | Novartis CEO keeps faith in Avidity deal despite taking $1.9B hit from del-desiran fail | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFBVV95cUxPMnNYTTVJcHEybndQTlVRLVhCVzBQT0JLZER1cFhPTnVaRFVDQlhsWU9sLXloNDFNTk1YekstOTFjTnRFdzREQ1h6RUZZOE9XZTd3TUJDNlhtcE9wVFJ1VWs2NTZiUC1aNlhQLXF6SlF2QjJMamgtT3NkbmdLbmhIZW9Md2tlSHZoWTV3Y3NTbW96Q0NuU3hRTUpBLURDbkpTU1U5TGlTRmlOLW9a?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-10-28/novartis-ceo-keeps-faith-in-avidity-deal-despite-taking-1-9b-hit-from-del*