AstraZeneca delivered a year of strong revenue growth, supported by the launch of new medicines1 and further
good progress on its pipeline, with several approvals and data readouts. These trends are set to continue in
2020, accompanied by growth in earnings and cash. In maintaining its focus on patients and science, the
Company remains on track to deliver its strategic ambitions.
Full-year Product Sales growth of 12% (15% at CER2) to $23,565m included fourth-quarter Product Sales of
$6,250m (+8%, +9% at CER). All three therapy areas and every sales region grew at CER in the quarter and
over the full year. Highlights for the year included:
- Sales of new medicines increased by 59% (62% at CER) to $9,906m, including new-medicine growth in
Emerging Markets of 75% (84% at CER) to $1,865m. New medicines represented 42% of total Product Sales
(FY 2018: 30%)
- Sales growth across the therapy areas: Oncology +44% (+47% at CER) to $8,667m, New CVRM3 +9% (+12%
at CER) to $4,376m and Respiratory +10% (+13% at CER) to $5,391m
- For the first time, around half of Product Sales in the year were within the specialty-care4 setting
- Sales growth across regions: total Emerging Markets sales increased by 18% (24% at CER) to $8,165m, with
China sales growth of 29% (35% at CER); China sales in the quarter increased by 25% (28% at CER) to
$1,189m. US sales increased by 13% in the year to $7,747m; Europe sales declined by 2% in the year (up
by 2% at CER) to $4,350m; Japan sales increased by 27% (26% at CER) to $2,548m
And later;
Dividend per share
Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK). Dividend payments are normally paid as follows:
- First interim dividend - announced with half-year and second-quarter results and paid in September
- Second interim dividend - announced with full-year and fourth-quarter results and paid in March
The record date for the second interim dividend for 2019, payable on 30 March 2020, will be 28 February 2020.
The ex-dividend date will be 27 February 2020. The record date for the first interim dividend for 2020, payable
on 14 September 2020, will be 14 August 2020. The ex-dividend date will be 13 August 2020.
https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam ... cement.pdf
RNS here; https://www.investegate.co.uk/astrazene ... 00059829C/