The Italian firm's move to license Isturisa from Novartis last year is paying dividends already and Recordati has already tripled its peak sales forecast for the Cushing's therapy.

A dozen applications for new drugs and significant new indications are on the US FDA’s calendar of goal dates, including breakthrough-designated applications from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Novartis has received two positive opinions in Europe, the most important being for Mayzent, its active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis drug which is key to the company's ambitions for growth in the neurology space.