Sandoz CEO Outlines Strategy to Capture $600 Billion 'Golden Decade' Opportunity in Affordable Medicines

Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor will outline the company's strategy to capitalize on what he calls an unprecedented 'golden decade' opportunity during a presentation at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Speaking at the conference, Saynor will highlight Sandoz's progress in its first two years as a standalone company and its determination to seize a market opportunity created by medicines worth more than USD 600 billion losing exclusivity over the next decade.

Saynor stated that Sandoz remains consistently on track with commitments made since becoming independent in 2023, noting that as the global leader in affordable medicines, the company already impacts healthcare accessibility by providing 80% of medicines used at just 30% of total cost. He emphasized that the company stands on the cusp of the biggest opportunity in pharmaceutical industry history, with an unprecedented loss of exclusivity (LoE) period that could dramatically increase patient access to needed medicines.

In its first two years as a standalone company, Sandoz has delivered on several strategic milestones, including breaking ground on a major new sterile biosimilars production center in Brnik, Slovenia, as part of a multi-site project representing a total investment of more than USD 1.1 billion. The company also completed the acquisition of Just-Evotec Biologics' site and capabilities in Toulouse, France, and launched six biosimilars in 2025, with three occurring in the fourth quarter alone. Additionally, Sandoz opened a new facility for penicillin active ingredients and a new production line for final products, completing a USD 250 million investment in its vertically-integrated European production network for antibiotics.

Three pillars now define Sandoz's global leadership: global scale with 1,300 products supplied to over 100 countries; unique positioning as the only 'pure-play' biosimilar and generic company with reliable execution; and a respected leadership team backed by more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The company has achieved strong financial momentum, with 2024 sales of USD 10 billion driven by double-digit biosimilar growth, and maintains a #1 ranking in the European market, which serves as its home base and global leadership cornerstone.

Sandoz continues to deliver sustained top-line momentum and margin expansion, supporting its mid-term outlook of mid-single digit annual sales growth to 2028 at constant exchange rates, with core EBITDA margin expansion forecasted to reach 24% to 26% in 2028. The company focuses on growing its core generics business with recent key launches across markets including iron ferric, rivaroxaban and enoxaparin sodium in Europe. With approximately 1,300 products marketed worldwide and a pipeline of more than 400, Sandoz pursues a strategy of focused LoE coverage centered on oral solids and injectables, supported by longer-term focus on the emerging GLP-1 market.

In biosimilars, Sandoz's key growth pillar, the company builds on its experience as pioneer and global leader with a portfolio of 13 molecules in nearly 100 countries and a rapidly-growing pipeline. This progress positions Sandoz to seize the coming opportunity, with reference medicines worth well over USD 600 billion due to lose exclusivity in the next decade. The generic opportunity is valued at USD 340 billion, and Sandoz has a pipeline targeting nearly two-thirds of this total, while the biosimilar opportunity is valued at USD 322 billion, with Sandoz targeting approximately 60 percent.

A significant challenge remains that more than 50 biologics facing LoE in the next seven years currently have no biosimilar planned due to high clinical development costs, creating what's known as the 'biosimilar void.' Regulatory moves toward streamlining biosimilar development, which Sandoz has helped lead from an industry perspective, could help fill this void and substantially decrease both cost and time to market without impacting quality, safety or efficacy. The company provides access to presentation materials through https://www.sandoz.com/investors/events-presentations.

Saynor concluded that Sandoz is poised to seize the unprecedented market opportunity over the next decade for the benefit of shareholders, customers, partners and patients. He expressed confidence that continued delivery on promises would enable the company to lead in making the next 10 years the 'golden decade' of affordable healthcare.