Here's why Novartis CEO thinks FDA process could have been handled better

Novartis has said that it learned of the data manipulation on March 14 and alerted the US Food and Drug Administration

Novartis AG Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan said the company could have handled a furor surrounding its Zolgensma gene therapy better.

Narasimhan, who became CEO of the pharmaceutical manufacturer last year, made the comment in a company call with 12,000 managers, according to newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende. Looking back, Narasimhan said he recognized opportunities where Novartis could have handled the situation better. Narasimhan said he is not perfect as a CEO and “we will all keep working on it.”

The Swiss company is under fire from US lawmakers who say it should have told regulators about data irregularities before the