Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis reported on Wednesday that quarterly profit has risen on the back of its Roche divestment. The company’s fourth-quarter net income climbed to $16.31 billion or $7.29 per share from the prior year’s $2.10 billion or $0.92 per share. The latest quarter results benefited from the Roche divestment gain of $14.6 billion. Core net income for the fourth quarter was $3.14 billion, an increase of 3 or 6 per cent at constant currency rates compared to the previous year, mainly driven by growth in core operating income, partly offset by lower income fro…