Novartis AG, CH0012005267

Novartis stock slips after an ALS study failure

Published on 09/17/2026 at 14:27 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Novartis stock traded at CHF 114.90 on September 17, 2026, after UBS kept its view at Neutral. Pluvicto sales reached USD 1.3 billion in first-half 2026.

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Novartis stock (CH0012005267) traded at CHF 114.90 on September 17, 2026, after UBS kept its rating at Neutral. The Swiss bank said Scemblix trends in the U.S. look more upbeat than the consensus, while Cosentyx remains more cautious, according to finanzen.ch on September 17, 2026.

UBS keeps Neutral

UBS analyst Matthew Weston left the Novartis rating unchanged at Neutral and published the original study on September 16, 2026, according to finanzen.ch. The same report said the first distribution of the research reached the market on September 17, 2026.

UBS also pointed to Scemblix as the stronger setup in the U.S., a useful detail for investors weighing the drug mix against the latest setback in the pipeline. A first.

ALS setback adds pressure

Reuters reported on September 16, 2026, that Novartis halted development of an experimental ALS drug after a mid-stage study failed to meet its goals, marking another disappointment for the Swiss drugmaker this year, according to Reuters.

The Reuters report said the stop followed a mid-stage failure, and it came after the stock had already been hit by earlier surprise setbacks on September 8, 2026, as noted in Reuters-linked market coverage. That leaves the prescription trend debate around Scemblix and Cosentyx more important than a single trial readout.

Pluvicto stays a pillar

Zacks said on September 17, 2026, that Pluvicto generated USD 1.3 billion in first-half 2026 sales, up 57 percent year over year, according to Zacks. The same item also linked July 2026 FDA expansion for the prostate-cancer therapy to a broader patient pool.

That 57 percent increase gives Novartis a concrete offset to the ALS miss. It is the number that matters most for the second half.

Stock level and scale

Novartis stock changed hands at CHF 114.98 at 13:22:06 on September 17, 2026, with a move of 0.70 CHF or 0.61 percent, according to finanzen.ch market data. The same page showed intraday trading volume of 482,574 shares and a year-to-date gain of 7.9 percent.