Novartis stock gains as remibrutinib data and Fabhalta growth offset cell therapy trial pause

Novartis stock is benefiting from strong multiple sclerosis and rare disease momentum even as the company pauses eight autoimmune and neurological cell therapy trials after three patient deaths, leaving investors to weigh growth prospects against safety risks.

Novartis (ISIN CH0012005267) stock is trading higher in early September 2026, supported by promising late stage data for its multiple sclerosis candidate remibrutinib and strong growth of its rare disease drug Fabhalta, even as the company pauses eight cell therapy trials following three patient deaths as reported on September 1, 2026.

Pipeline data drives investor optimism

According to a detailed report by Devdiscourse dated September 3, 2026, Novartis announced that its oral Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor remibrutinib outperformed teriflunomide, an older multiple sclerosis treatment, in reducing relapses in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis in two Phase 3 trials.

The company said that remibrutinib significantly reduced annualized relapse rates compared with teriflunomide in the REMODEL-1 and REMODEL-2 studies, and that the drug showed superiority on all key secondary endpoints, including reductions in MRI lesions, according to this late stage data released on September 1, 2026.

Novartis also highlighted that remibrutinib was well tolerated and showed no liver safety issues in these studies, which is important because liver safety has been a concern for other drugs in the same class, as noted in the same Devdiscourse coverage.

Safety pause in cell therapy trials balances the picture

At the same time, Novartis is facing a significant safety issue in part of its pipeline. As reported by Big News Network on September 4, 2026, the company has halted eight clinical trials of its experimental cell therapy rap cel after three patients experienced severe, life threatening immune reactions that led to their deaths.

The pause, implemented on August 24, 2026, affects trials targeting autoimmune and neurological disorders, while two trials in lymphoma and leukemia patients remain ongoing, according to this report from Basel, Switzerland.

Despite the gravity of the safety issue, the same coverage notes that Novartis shares were up about 4 percent earlier in the week, as investors focused on the late stage success of remibrutinib rather than solely on the cell therapy setback.

Fabhalta sales show rare disease momentum

Beyond multiple sclerosis, investors are also watching the performance of Novartis in rare diseases, particularly the complement factor B inhibitor Fabhalta, which targets certain rare blood disorders.

According to an analysis on Business Insider published on September 3, 2026, Fabhalta achieved sales of 225.0 million USD in the second quarter of 2026, up from 167.0 million USD in the first quarter of 2026.

This represents an increase of 58.0 million USD quarter on quarter, or about 34.7 percent growth in sales between the first and second quarters of 2026, underscoring the drugs strong commercial ramp in its niche indication.

The same article notes that Novartis has publicly guided Fabhalta toward a peak sales potential in the range of 3.0 to 10.0 billion USD, highlighting the strategic importance of this medicine in the companys long term revenue mix.

Stock performance and valuation context

Recent commentary on Novartis shares points to a solid year to date performance. The Devdiscourse coverage of remibrutinib states that the stock is up about 17 percent so far in 2026, supported by the multiple sclerosis data and the strengthening pipeline.

Another analysis from a European investor publication dated September 3, 2026, notes that the Novartis share price at the time of that review stood at 131.32 Swiss francs and highlighted a year to date gain of around 20.5 percent, indicating a robust upward trend aligned with pipeline progress and resilience despite patent expiries.

For investors in the DACH region, the Swiss listing of Novartis and its relevance for indices such as the Swiss Market Index provides a regional anchor, even though the main equity quotation is in Swiss francs on SIX Swiss Exchange rather than on a German market like Xetra.

Representative product: Fabhalta in focus

Fabhalta is a key representative product for Novartis in the rare disease segment, reflecting the companys strategy to build durable franchises beyond traditional mass market medicines.

As highlighted in the Business Insider analysis, Fabhalta delivered second quarter 2026 sales of 225.0 million USD compared with 167.0 million USD in the first quarter of 2026, and Novartis has articulated a long term peak sales ambition of 3.0 to 10.0 billion USD for this therapy, which would make it a significant contributor to group earnings.

Novartis stock price snapshot and investor view

As of early September 2026, Novartis stock is trading around the mid triple digit Swiss franc range on its primary listing in Switzerland, with year to date performance reported at between 17.0 and 20.5 percent depending on the source date, and the shares having risen about 4 percent earlier in the week following the remibrutinib data release.

The combination of strong Fabhalta growth, encouraging remibrutinib Phase 3 data and the measured response to the cell therapy safety pause means that, for many investors, Novartis stock currently reflects a balance between attractive pipeline driven upside and the inherent risks of advanced therapies.

Novartis at a glance

• Company: Novartis AG
• ISIN: CH0012005267
• Ticker: NVS
• Trading venue: SIX Swiss Exchange and NYSE (ADR)
• Sector / Industry: Health Care / Pharmaceuticals
• Index membership: Swiss Market Index (SMI)