By Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Novartis on Wednesday reported a gain of 6% in fourth-quarter adjusted net income, helped by cost cuts and strong growth of recently launched drugs. Core net income for the quarter came in at $3.13 billion, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement, missing an average analyst estimate of about $3.3 billion. The company also extended its mid-term guidance, saying it expected sales to grow 5% per year until 2028, when adjusting for currency swings. It had previously projected that pace of growth through 2027. It reiterated that the core operating income margin…