| |OCTOBER 20268TOP STORIESROCHE Q3 CEETRIS GROWTH KEEPS INDIA AT THE FOREFRONTSANOFI'S QFITLIA APPROVAL: HAEMOPHILIA PROPHYLAXIS IN INDIADR. REDDY'S TORIPALIMAB IN INDIA: ESOPHAGEAL CANCER DATAEOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS TREATMENT: TEZSPIRE SHOWS PROMISEABBOTT PLANS NUTRITION SPIN-OFF, CUTS 2026 SALES GROWTH FORECASTRoche Q3 CEETRIS growth keeps India at the forefront of the company's international strategy. While global observers note the Group's solid 7 percent constant-exchange-rate rise, the sharper signal for Indian stakeholders arrives from the International region's 10 percent CER advance. That zone explicitly includes the Indian subcontinent and continues to rank among Roche's clearer growth engines outside the United States and Europe. Strong demand for key specialty brands reinforces India's position as a strategic priority at a moment when specialty medicine competition intensifies at home. Roche reported third-quarter group sales of 16.13 billion Swiss francs, up 7 percent at constant exchange rates and 8 percent in Swiss francs. For the first nine months, Group sales reached 46.5 billion francs, a 6 percent CER increase. POHaemophilia prophylaxis in India has gained renewed attention following the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's (CDSCO) approval of Sanofi's Qfitlia (fitusiran), a preventive therapy for patients with haemophilia A or B aged 12 years and older. The approval adds another treatment option for a condition where recurrent bleeding can lead to damaged joints, disability and other lasting complications.However, the development also draws attention to a persistent challenge in Indian haemophilia care: access to regular preventive treatment. According to a 2026 multicenter analysis on the World Bleeding Disorder Registry, only 7 percent of Indian patients with severe haemophilia in the cohort were on prophylaxis, pointing towards a wide gap between treatment needs and preventive care. POToripalimab in India is gaining clinical relevance as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories expands the potential use of its immunotherapy brand Zytorvi in gastrointestinal cancer. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) approval for the additional indication brings attention to the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in treating advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Beyond the regulatory development, an India-based real-world study offers another perspective on how toripalimab Eosinophilic esophagitis treatment could gain a potential new option after AstraZeneca and Amgen reported positive Phase III results for Tezspire (tezepelumab) in adolescents and adults. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic inflammatory disease affects the esophagus. The CROSSING trial found that up to 68.9 percent of patients receiving the drug achieved histologic remission at 24 weeks, compared with 3.5 percent receiving placebo.Improvements in swallowing difficulties were also reported, with benefits sustained through 52 weeks. The findings, presented at United European Gastroenterology Week 2026, offer evidence that targeting an upstream inflammatory pathway could help patients whose disease remains uncontrolled. However, Tezspire is not yet approved for EoE, and the findings do not establish when a new indication might become available. POAbbott plans a major nutrition spin-off while it cuts its 2026 sales growth forecast, signaling a clear shift toward higher-growth healthcare segments. The company moves to separate its nutrition unit into an independent publicly traded firm even as softer medical device demand prompts a lower outlook. This dual announcement reshapes Abbott's portfolio and aims to unlock value for both the core business and the new nutrition entity.Investors now watch how the spin-off timeline and revised guidance reshape the company's trajectory through 2027 and beyond. Abbott now expects 2026 sales growth of about 6 percent, down from its earlier range of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent. The company also tightens its full-year adjusted earnings-per-share forecast to a range of USD 5.50 to USD 5.55 from the previous USD 5.45 to USD 5.60. POperforms outside controlled clinical trials. A multicenter study at the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough meeting assessed treatment outcomes in patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC, including patients with low or unrecorded PD-L1 expression. The findings offer an early signal of treatment activity in everyday clinical practice, but it isn't sufficient to draw any conclusion because of the small number of patients who were examined. PO
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