Novartis continued to focus on proprietary drug development in 2019 while giving its Sandoz generics unit more autonomy within the company. Acquisitions and divestments continued to shape the business. During the year, Novartis spun out its Alcon eye division with its portfolio of ophthalmic surgical products, and spent $3.4 billion upfront to acquire a treatment for dry eye disease from Takeda Pharmaceutical Col Ltd. It also agreed to pay $9.7 billion to acquire The Medicines Company and its late stage product inclisiran for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
