Andrew Willis: In the recent “10 for 2023” report from Sustainalytics, Martin Vezér and Poulomi Sengupta combed through Pitchbook and Sustainalytics to find you stocks behind the latest life-changing gene therapies.
As discussed in our coverage of emerging technologies so far, product governance is often a key risk in early-stage product development. And you can imagine the importance of product safety in the cutting-edge pharmaceutical space – or take a look at Novartis.
Not only is Novartis (NVS) producing a drug that treats rare and life-threatening diseases, but it’s leading the industry on product safety. The Sustainalytics report notes that the firm has the lowest product governance risk among its peers, owing to measures such as safety risk assessments that even include product safety monitoring post-launch.
The reputation for safety at Novartis has helped the firm secure approvals in more than 40 regions and countries for its one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Sector director Damien Conover notes that Novartis has strong positions in multiple key therapeutic areas, including cancer and immunology drugs. The firm also has a strong pipeline of potential blockbuster drugs which reinforces a wide moat rating.
Next week, we’ll feature a company with a narrow moat, but with a hundred-year history and best-in-class approach to cybersecurity - and about 90% of global credit card volume.
For Morningstar, I’m Andrew Willis.