The reinvention of Novartis

THE BOSS of Novartis is on a buying spree. Vas Narasimhan has been shopping for new medicines that will reinvent his drug company. His aim is to turn a stodgy European conglomerate into a cutting-edge pharmaceuticals firm by decluttering it of unwanted assets and placing big bets on advanced medicines. These are more precise in the way they work and are likely to play an increasing role in health care in the future. By shuffling the deck, Mr Narasimhan says he is focusing on "transformative inno...