Novartis agreed to acquire Avidity Biosciences for roughly $12 billion, adding three late-stage RNA-based programs aimed at muscular dystrophies and related neuromuscular diseases. The Swiss pharma positions the deal as a rapid scale-up of its RNA therapeutics footprint and expects regulatory filings and potential launches in the latter half of the decade. The acquisition hands Novartis assets approaching regulatory submission, including a Duchenne program and candidates for myotonic and facioscapulohumeral dystrophies. Sources reporting the deal (industry press and deal coverage) highlight the strategic intent: buy late-stage development to accelerate near-term product flow rather than build internally. Investors and competitors will watch integration timelines and whether Novartis can translate Avidity’s RNA modalities into commercial success in neuromuscular indications that have been historically challenging for systemic oligonucleotide approaches.