Business

Novartis Seeks U.S. Approval for Two Smoker’s Cough Drugs

Published

11 years ago

January 8, 2015

The Aug. 12, 2005 file photo shows the logo of Swiss company Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. AP Photo/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt)

(Bloomberg) – Novartis AG applied for U.S. regulatory approval for two drugs to treat smoker’s cough that analysts estimate could generate an additional $1.4 billion in annual sales for the Swiss drugmaker.

Third-phase clinical tests for QVA149 and NVA237 showed “positive” results for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or smoker’s cough, Basel-based Novartis said today in a statement. The filing was made in the fourth quarter of last year, the company said.

Drugmakers are introducing new respiratory treatments as existing drugs such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Advair lose intellectual property rights. COPD kills a person every 10 seconds and will become the third-highest cause of death worldwide by 2030, according to the World Health Organization. The disease is characterized by breathlessness, excess saliva, mucus in the airways and a chronic cough.

Novartis’s decision to apply for approval of both products as twice-daily treatments may put them at a disadvantage to once-daily therapies such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Anoro and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Spiriva, analysts from Barclays Plc wrote in a note today.

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Art

After 10-Year Wait, Fillmore Heritage Center Reopens in San Francisco

After serving as the economic and cultural hub of the Fillmore’s historically Black community for more than a decade, the center’s closure ended what was called the “Rebirth of the Cool,” referring to the neighborhood’s role during the height of Black Jazz in the United States.

Published

17 hours ago

June 10, 2026

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Rev. Amos Brown of Third Baptist Church addresses community members at the Fillmore Heritage Center ribbon cutting. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington, Special to The Post

Last Saturday morning, the cloudy skies cleared just as the highly anticipated ribbon-cutting ceremony began, marking the reopening of the Fillmore Heritage Center at 1330 Fillmore and Eddy.

The complex – which had once included Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Lush Life Art Gallery, the Koret Heritage Lobby, a 54-seat microcinema, and the Black-owned 1300 On Fillmore restaurant – shuttered in 2015.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announcing the reopening of the Fillmore Heritage Center. Erika Scott, owner of Honey Art Studio, looks on with pride. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

“The Fillmore is the most important neighborhood in San Francisco’s history for centering Black culture, music, business, and community, and has shaped this City and influenced the entire country,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to the gathering of more than 100 community leaders, business owners, and public officials. “This building reflects the deep roots of the Fillmore. Urban renewal left deep scars that are still felt today. This Center celebrates a strong Black community that continues to shape San Francisco. I am proud to join the community as we reopen the Fillmore Heritage Center.”

Although the previous stakeholders will not be returning to the center, spaces are available for nonprofit organizations and ventures, such as Fillmore native Ericka Johnson’s Honey Art Studio.

“This Center will be an economic engine and a thriving venue that shines a light on the Black-owned businesses in this neighborhood and lifts the entire district,” Lurie continued. “Our City is committed to this community for the long term.”

“We’re excited to collaborate with the City to finally reopen these doors,” said Ken Johnson, a videographer and community leader who’d been lobbying for the reopening of the center. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the entrepreneurship and creative spirit of this ‘Harlem of the West’ and the ‘Rebirth of the Cool,’ grounded in our uniquely gifted Fillmore community.”

This month, through its Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the city will begin renting the building’s noncommercial spaces for pop-up events celebrating local talent, arts, and entertainment primarily centered in the Fillmore.