FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Novartis on Friday posted quarterly adjusted net income well above analyst estimates on forecast-beating sales of established heart failure drug Entresto and multiple sclerosis drug Kesimpta.

Fourth-quarter net income, adjusted for special items, rose 26% to $3.93 billion, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement, surpassing an analyst consensus of $3.64 billion, according to LSEG data.

Entresto, which will lose patent protection around the middle of this year, saw quarterly revenues jump by one third to a better-than-expected $2.18 billion.

Sales of MS drug Kesimpta, which patients can self-inject monthly, rose by almost 50% to $950 million, also above the market view.

The company predicted that 2025 operating income, adjusted for special items, would grow by a "high single to low double-digit" percentage, excluding the effect of currency swings.

That compares with a 22% increase in 2024.