A unit of Swiss drug company Novartis AG will have to defend itself against sex-discrimination claims brought by a group of women sales employees in a $100 million class-action lawsuit, a U.S. judge has ruled. Judge Gerard E. Lynch granted class-action status to a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. by 19 current and former employees in sales-related positions. In his order, the judge also granted a request to dismiss claims against Novartis Corp., the pharmaceutical unit's U.S. parent.

The lawsuit, which originally was filed in 2004, had alleged the Novartis unit was discriminatory in its pay, promotions, evaluations and treatment of women who take pregnancy leave. A Novartis spokesman declined to comment, saying the company had just received the judge's order and was reviewing it.