1. Novartis expects single-digit growth this year, which will likely be driven by heart drug Entresto, psoriasis treatment Cosentyx, and Kisqali for breast cancer. Vasant Narasimhan, currently global head of drug development and chief medical officer, succeeds Joe Jimenez as CEO next week. (Bloomberg)
2. Johnson & Johnson took a $13.6 billion charge in the wake of the new tax law, which led to a loss in fourth-quarter earnings. The drugmaker will repatriate $12 billion in cash and use it to fund its U.S. operations. (Reuters)
3. New York City is attempting to position itself as a biotech hub that can compete with Boston and San Francisco. The city plans to invest $500 million annually to increase the number of commercial research jobs to 20,000. (Forbes)
4. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration expanded the type and number of healthcare professionals allowed to prescribe narcotic drug buprenorphin. The change opens up access to HCPs in rural America, where there are more drug overdoses than in urban areas. (Reuters)
5. Drugmakers can do more to tackle the antibiotic resistance crisis, a new analysis found. GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and Mylan are among the leaders in the space. (Financial Times)
