Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis Pharma AG (SIX:NOVN) (NYSE:NVS) confirmed on Wednesday that it has completed the spin-off of its generics and biosimilars business, Sandoz, in order to fully focus on innovative medicines.

The company's strategic transformation emphasizes four core therapeutic areas: Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic (CRM), Immunology, Neuroscience and Oncology, positioned for growth in key markets such as the United States, China, Germany and Japan.

According to Novartis, this spin-off leaves the company with a catalyst-rich pipeline featuring around 150 projects in clinical development. In addition to two established technology platforms (Chemistry and Biotherapeutics), three next-generation platforms (Cell & Gene Therapy, Radioligand Therapy and xRNA) are the focus of continued investment into new R&D capabilities and manufacturing scale.

Sandoz shares are now listed and trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker 'SDZ', while Sandoz ADRs are available on the US OTCQX market as 'SDZNY'.