Post-swap Novartis preps cancer drug R&D road show

With GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) taking it on the chin these days for its less-than-exciting approach to product development, Novartis ($NVS) is planning a slate of presentations in the coming weeks designed at least in part to display just what it got out of their big asset swap. Two of the cancer drugs Novartis traded for from GSK--Tafinlar and Mekinist--will post combo survival data at ASCO. That's all part of a game plan to highlight 21 medicines and 11 investigational compounds across more than 185 data presentations at ASCO and the followup meeting of ASH in mid-June. For Novartis, it's a chance to demonstrate leadership in the cancer field, an area that the pharma giant has invested billions in. Release