Novartis AG said profit will rise this year as new medicines help offset the competition it expects from copycats of its best-selling medicine.

Core operating profit will likely grow by a high single- to a low double-digit percentage, the Swiss drugmaker said Friday. Sales will probably increase at a mid- to high-single digit pace.

Novartis is facing a raft of patent expiries for some of its biggest drugs, with top-selling heart medicine Entresto expected to face generic competitors in the US mid-year. The drugmaker has said its newer therapies will continue to drive growth.

The patent expiries are a test of Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan’s years-long overhaul of the company, with its focus narrowed to specific types of diseases. Last year Narasimhan issued what many investors saw as a cautious forecast at the beginning of the year, then repeatedly raised it in successive quarters.

Novartis shares have risen about 1% in the past 12 months, less than those of cross-town rival Roche Holding AG. Roche on Thursday said profit excluding some items would probably grow in the high single-digit range at constant currencies this year, outpacing revenue.