The Lemon Fool

Year-to-date and Q3 2019 results

Year-to-date Product Sales growth of 13% (17% at CER1) to $17,315m included third-quarter Product Sales of $6,132m (+16%, +18% at CER). The third quarter again saw all three therapy areas and every sales region
produce encouraging performances, including:
¾ The continued performance of new medicines2, with sales growth in the quarter of 62% (+64% at CER) to
$2,707m, including new-medicine growth in Emerging Markets of 85% (90% at CER) to $539m
¾ Sales growth by therapy area in the quarter: Oncology +46% (+48% at CER) to $2,334m, New CVRM3 +8%
(+11% at CER) to $1,113m and Respiratory +15% (+18% at CER) to $1,319m
¾ Sales growth by region in the quarter: total Emerging Markets sales grew by 25% (29% at CER) to $2,123m,
with China sales growth of 35% (40% at CER) to $1,283m, ahead of longer-term trends. US sales increased
by 17% to $2,025m; Europe sales continued their return to growth, increasing by 1% (4% at CER) to
$1,139m; Japan sales increased by 31% (27% at CER) to $657m

https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam ... cement.pdf

AstraZeneca today announced positive progression-free survival (PFS) results for Imfinzi (durvalumab) and tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA4 antibody, when added to chemotherapy, from the Phase III POSEIDON trial in previously-untreated Stage IV (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The trial met a primary endpoint by showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the final PFS analysis in patients treated with the combination of Imfinzi and a broad choice of five standard-of-care platinum-based chemotherapy options vs. chemotherapy alone. The triple combination of Imfinzi plus tremelimumab and chemotherapy also demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful PFS improvement vs. chemotherapy alone as a key secondary endpoint. The safety and tolerability of Imfinzi was consistent with its known safety profile. The triple combination delivered a broadly similar safety profile to the Imfinzi and chemotherapy combination and did not result in increased discontinuation of therapy.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 31443760R/

AstraZeneca divests rights to Seroquel and Seroquel XR in Europe and Russia

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00035420R/

According to The Times today," AZN is to set up a new research and development centre in China and will jointly establish a S1bn fund to invest in healthcare innovation companies in the country" focussing on "diseases that are prevalent in China, home to around a quarter of world's disease burden, as well as other parts of Asia". It is also establishing a healthcare industrial fund jointly with China International Capital Corporation, the Chinese investment bank, with a target size of $1 bn.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chin ... -f50gpjslk

It will be interesting to see what that does to AZN's profits. The share price has performed well since I bought but I see the dividend has been static for some time so not of interest to HYPers.

Another item re AZN in The Times today says that a million pupils face flu danger because of a shortage of vaccine, which AZN supplies. It would seem that a test needs to be repeated before a portion of the vaccine can be released and delivered. AZN have apologised and are doing everything possible to minimise the delay of the affected batches. The B word wasn't mentioned so presumably it is just a production glitch which is rather worrying.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/flu- ... -56cmsw8p6

AstraZeneca announces Qtrilmet approved in the EU for the treatment of type-2 diabetes


https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00035476T/

Imfinzi granted FDA Priority Review for SCLC

AstraZeneca today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) and granted Priority Review for Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00041178V/

AstraZeneca divests Seroquel rights: US and Canada

AstraZeneca has agreed to sell the commercial rights to Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate immediate release) and Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate extended release) in the US and Canada to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH (Cheplapharm). Seroquel and Seroquel XR, used primarily to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have lost their compound patent protection in the US and Canada.

Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, said: "This divestment supports our strategy of reducing the number of mature medicines to enable reinvestment in our main therapy areas. Cheplapharm recently agreed to acquire the commercial rights to Seroquel and Seroquel XR in most European markets and Russia from AstraZeneca and this new agreement will help ensure continued patient access to this important established medicine in North America as well."

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00104612V/

Seroquel rights agreement complete: Europe, Russia

AstraZeneca has completed an agreement to divest its commercial rights to Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate immediate release) and Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate extended release) in Europe and Russia to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH (Cheplapharm

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00109506W/

AstraZeneca divests rights to Arimidex and Casodex

AstraZeneca today announced that it has agreed to sell the commercial rights to Arimidex (anastrozole) and Casodex (bicalutamide) in a number of European, African and other countries1 to Juvisé Pharmaceuticals.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00076170X/

Triple-combination approved in China for COPD

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00117903X/

Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) approved in US

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00097384X/

I have an app on my phone for rns alerts. Recently, it seems rarely a day goes by without some new announcement from AZN about some drug or combination being approved, some rights being divested, or such like.

We had a decade or so of flat dividend, falling revenues and rising debt. I hope the 2020s are the reverse! Having said that, AZN is a good long term performer for me with capital gain of 308% since 1998 and it's paid well over its book cost in dividends. Even with a decade of a flat dividend, the dividend CAGR per share is about 9-10% (from memory).

Best wishes

Mark.

US FDA approved Lynparza for pancreatic cancer

AstraZeneca and MSD Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., US (MSD: known as Merck & Co., Inc. inside the US and Canada) today announced that Lynparza (olaparib) has been approved in the US for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (pancreatic cancer) whose disease has not progressed on at least 16 weeks of a 1st-line platinum-based chemotherapy regimen. Patients will be selected for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for Lynparza.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00072291Y/

Farxiga granted FDA heart failure Priority Review

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 01048102Y/

Lokelma approved in China for hyperkalaemia

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00078101Y/

Update on Phase III STRENGTH trial for Epanova in mixed dyslipidaemia

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00065577Z/

Lynparza granted FDA Priority Review for PAOLA-1

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 01025580Z/

Imfinzi, tremelimumab granted ODD in liver cancer

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00072850A/

Enhertu Phase II trial met primary endpoint

High-level results from the positive registrational Phase II trial DESTINY-Gastric01 showed AstraZeneca's and Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (Daiichi Sankyo)'s Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer that had progressed following two or more treatment regimens including trastuzumab and chemotherapy.

The trial met its primary endpoint of an improvement in ORR, as assessed by an independent review committee, in patients treated with Enhertu compared to investigator's choice of chemotherapy (irinotecan or paclitaxel monotherapy). Enhertu also showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS, a key secondary endpoint.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00189767A/

Also;

Brilinta met primary endpoint in stroke trial

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00149331A/

AstraZeneca to recover brazikumab (MEDI2070)

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00099766A/

Full year results;

https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam ... cement.pdf

Also on HYP Practical for HYPer chat.

Ian.

AstraZeneca divests global rights to Movantik

AstraZeneca has agreed to sublicense its global rights to Movantik (naloxegol), excluding Europe, Canada and Israel, to RedHill Biopharma (RedHill). Movantik is a peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) indicated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00070209E/

Divestment of hypertension medicines completed

AstraZeneca today announced that it has completed the previously communicated agreement with Atnahs Pharma (Atnahs) to divest its global commercial rights to Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Tenoretic (atenolol, chlorthalidone fixed-dose combination), Zestril (lisinopril) and Zestoretic (lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide fixed-dose combination).

https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00066419E/