AZN.L - AstraZeneca PLC
| Previous close | 8,596.00 |
| Open | 8,635.00 |
| Bid | 8,556.00 x 0 |
| Ask | 8,557.00 x 0 |
| Day's range | 8,530.00 - 8,811.00 |
| 52-week range | 5,871.00 - 9,335.00 |
| Volume | 2,213,858 |
| Avg. volume | 2,964,040 |
| Market cap | 111.936B |
| Beta (5Y monthly) | 0.27 |
| PE ratio (TTM) | 53.51 |
| EPS (TTM) | 159.40 |
| Earnings date | 30 Jul 2020 |
| Forward dividend & yield | 2.18 (2.56%) |
| Ex-dividend date | 27 Feb 2020 |
| 1y target est | 78.83 |
- Reuters
AstraZeneca targets two billion doses, poor countries with COVID vaccine deals
The deals with epidemic response group CEPI and vaccine alliance GAVI are backed by the World Health Organisation and aim to quell concerns that the company was committing all initial supplies of the vaccine to the developed world. It is unclear if vaccines will work against the coronavirus but dozens of companies are in the race to develop one, and AstraZeneca's partnership with Oxford University is one of a handful to be backed so far by U.S. President Donald Trump's COVID task force.
- Reuters
AstraZeneca aims at two billion doses with new COVID vaccine deals
The company, which has already agreed to supply 400 million doses to the United States and British governments, said on Thursday it had agreed terms with the Indian company, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, to supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca's partnership with Oxford University has garnered international attention as one of the leading coronavirus vaccine candidates, sealing more than $1 billion (£799.17 million) in U.S. government funding last month as it ramps up testing of the vaccine and manufacturing capacity. It said it had also signed an agreement worth $750 million with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and GAVI vaccines alliance, both founded by Microsoft-founder Gates and his wife, to produce 300 million doses of the vaccine.
- Zacks
Trump Picks 5 Coronavirus Vaccine Candidates Per NYT Report
The candidates belong to five companies, Moderna, AstraZeneca, J&J, Merck and Pfizer.
- Zacks
AstraZeneca Inks Deal to Develop RMP Inhibitors for Cancer
AstraZeneca (AZN) signs an oncology agreement with Accent Therapeutics to develop novel therapies targeting RNA-modifying proteins for treating cancer.
- Reuters
EU to use $2.7 billion fund to buy promising COVID-19 vaccines
The European Union is preparing to use an emergency 2.4-billion- euro fund to make advance purchases of promising vaccines against the new coronavirus, EU officials told Reuters. The move was discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, after Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands said they were speeding up negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to secure access to vaccines currently under development.
- Motley Fool
Is a COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Glut on the Way?
Dozens of drugmakers are developing COVID-19 vaccines and gearing up to produce billions of doses each year.
- Bloomberg
Don’t Only Bet on Fast Vaccines, Root for Covid Treatments
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- As companies and countries pour money into the effort to develop Covid-19 vaccines, timelines keep getting more ambitious and dates for delivering a workable immunization against the virus keep moving up. Yet even with companies such as Moderna Therapeutics Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc signaling rapid progress and already enrolling patients in mid-stage trials, it would be quite a feat if we had a stockpile of proven doses by year's end. That’s a best-case scenario. A longer wait is more likely, and that may seem discouraging. The good news is, there is a batch of treatments in development with a chance of accelerated approval, and they can provide needed relief in the interim.Dozens of approaches could serve as a valuable bridge, from repurposed drugs to bespoke antibody cocktails. None can replace the value of a vaccine in getting the world back to normal, but the availability of more treatment options for sick patients could help to increase the chances of a faster and fuller recovery, and reduce the lethality of the disease. Two of the most familiar treatments options — the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir — have recently run into issues over safety and degree of efficacy, but there are plenty more in the pipeline.When it comes to development, the pathway for treatments is generally smoother than the one for vaccines, which can run into bottlenecks that are fundamentally difficult to break. For one, the fact that innoculations are aimed at healthy individuals means there is a higher safety bar. And the large trials necessary for trying out vaccines would have to occur in places where Covid-19 is spreading substantially to get the random exposure required to test them properly. With multiple candidates in development and ongoing precautions to avoid infection, getting robust data fast may be an issue. Finding volunteers is also an issue for treatment trials, as case counts level off. Still, many outcomes for infected patients can be determined comparatively rapidly. Along with a higher tolerance for side effects in individuals at possible near-term risk of dying, this permits smaller and faster tests.There are a few significant groups of possible treatments. The first involves repurposing existing drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir. Because these types of medicines were originally designed to treat other conditions, they are less likely to produce a dramatic effect. However, if one is useful, it can be deployed quickly.One category within this group doesn't aim at the virus, but the out-of-control immune response it can cause. Roche Holding AG's arthritis drug Actemra has shown some early promise and is in larger trials. Researchers plan to test a variety of other medicines that target inflammation. If successful, they could provide several avenues to improved outcomes in critically ill patients. Another idea? Drug cocktails. That's the thought behind a recently started trial combining remdesivir and Actemra. Several other repurposed combinations, existing flu drugs, and a host of other medicines have opportunities to prove their worth.A second category of drug treatments involves a different type of recycling: using the blood of recovered individuals. People who survive Covid-19 develop antibodies against the virus and their donated plasma is already part of treatment regimens for sick patients around the world. Early results look promising, but they need confirmation from randomized trials that are now under way. Scale and variability issues may prevent convalescent plasma from treating millions, so it's worth boosting identification and collection efforts now even if the benefits of this type of treatment aren’t yet fully determined. A concentrated version under development by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. also could prove useful.A related third group of medicines centers on artificially produced antibodies, which could be more effective and available than natural counterparts. Companies including Eli Lilly & Co., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Vir Biotechnology Inc. are pursuing this approach. Lilly announced the start of its first trial Monday. Regeneron, which created a successful antibody cocktail for an Ebola epidemic, is right behind. While there's no guarantee of success, these treatments have a better chance of autumn availability than even the fastest vaccines. It would take additional trials to confirm, but this category has particular value as a bridge because it can function as both treatment and temporary protection.Unless making and deploying hundreds of millions of inoculations is a lot easier than I expect and the fastest vaccines durably prevent both infection and transmission — a big ask for warp-speed efforts — Covid-19 may be around in diminished form for a while to come. That means treatments will remain valuable even after vaccines arrive. The more tools doctors have, the better.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Max Nisen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, pharma and health care. He previously wrote about management and corporate strategy for Quartz and Business Insider.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Fool.co.uk
Looking for safe havens with dividends? These FTSE 100 stocks are hard to beat!
Looking to get rich from the FTSE 100 but at low risk? Royston Wild talks up two terrific income shares that could help you do that.The post Looking for safe havens with dividends? These FTSE 100 stocks are hard to beat! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Zacks
Lilly's Cyramza Gets FDA Approval for First-Line Lung Cancer
FDA approves Lilly's (LLY) Cyramza as a combination regimen for metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Cyramza is now approved for six indications to treat four different types of cancers.
- Reuters
AstraZeneca scores twin drug approvals alongside vaccine progress
Lynparza received a recommendation from a panel of the European health regulator for use as a follow-on treatment for a form of advanced pancreatic cancer while heart drug Brilinta received a U.S. green light, the company said on Monday. AstraZeneca, now the most valuable London-listed company, has garnered international attention with its hot pursuit of a coronavirus vaccine, sealing U.S. government funding last month as it aims to produce a billion doses this and next year. Separately on Monday, AstraZeneca's manufacturing partner Oxford Biomedica said it had hired French pharma veteran Roch Doliveux as non-executive chairman as the gene and cell therapy company vies for major role in the vaccine.
- Fool.co.uk
Stock market crash: I’d buy these 2 FTSE 100 shares in an ISA to get rich and retire early
I think these two FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) shares could deliver high total returns over the long run after the recent stock market crash.The post Stock market crash: I’d buy these 2 FTSE 100 shares in an ISA to get rich and retire early appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Business Wire
BRILINTA Approved in the US to Reduce the Risk of a First Heart Attack or Stroke in High-Risk Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
AstraZeneca’s BRILINTA® (ticagrelor) has been approved in the US to reduce the risk of a first heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease.
- Bloomberg
Cancer Summit Presses Toward Treatments in Covid’s Shadow
(Bloomberg) -- The year’s biggest meeting of cancer researchers was subjected to a coronavirus overhaul this year, but even in scaled-back form it forced investors to recalibrate their expectations for some closely watched medicines.The American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting is the field’s most important gathering each spring, providing a stage for major pharmaceutical companies to unveil major findings and tout promising treatments. It’s also an annual opportunity for all kinds of researchers, doctors, executives and investors to rub elbows.With Covid-19 making travel uncomfortable and splashy conferences impossible this year, the summit was mostly a virtual affair. Still, it delivered many of the kinds of important victories and stinging setbacks it often does. And the meeting showed that even as the drug industry races to identify virus treatments and vaccines, cancer remains perhaps its most important business overall.“When the coronavirus wanes and we have a vaccine, and this infectious disease is brought under control, we will still have cancer and the need for new treatments,” said Richard Schilsky, ASCO’s chief medical officer, in an interview. “We have millions of patients around the world who need new and improved treatments for cancer.”Among the most noteworthy winners was U.K. pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca Plc, which reported that its blockbuster Tagrisso reduced the risk of dying from lung cancer or relapse by four-fifths over three years. The drug is already AstraZeneca’s biggest product, bringing in $982 million in sales in the first quarter alone.Some smaller drug companies also logged what looked like significant victories: Trillium Therapeutics Inc. said that a second patient taking its experimental lymphoma therapy responded to the treatment. Shares of Trillium, which has a market value of about $560 million, surged more than 17% on FridayAnd as ASCO played out, other big cancer-research news also roiled drugmaker stocks.Pfizer Inc. shares fell 5.1% in trading before U.S. exchanges opened Monday after the U.S. drug bellwether said a late-stage study of its treatment for metastatic breast cancer, Ibrance, was unlikely to show a statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival for patients with early breast cancer.Though the Covid-19 pandemic has been the defining story of the health-care business this year, the ASCO meeting was a reminder that most of the world’s pharmaceutical companies remain keenly focused on finding new cancer treatments to generate profits. And that focus has paid off for patients: The U.S. death rate from cancer has been falling at a record pace, thanks largely to big advances in treating lung tumors.Data presented at the meeting showed progress in combating the second leading cause of death worldwide, Schilsky said. Researchers found medicines used for patients with advanced disease can have an even bigger benefit for those with recently diagnosed tumors, while medicines are emerging that are effective against a wide range of tumors that are driven by specific gene mutations.Deals Getting DoneLarge drugmakers have remained on the prowl for promising cancer therapies that they can acquire through mergers or other transactions. Even Gilead Sciences Inc., which has been in the headlines because of its potential coronavirus treatment remdesivir, has been getting cancer-focused deals done against the backdrop of the pandemic.Last week, Gilead agreed to work on immunotherapy drugs with biotech Arcus Biosciences Inc. And earlier this year it agreed to buy cancer-drug maker Forty Seven for $4.9 billion. Gilead has been pressured by investors to find new drugs that can take the place of some of its aging blockbusters. It made another big bet on cancer when it bought Kite Pharma and its drug Yescarta, though sales of the highly priced genetic therapy have so far failed to live up to expectations.At ASCO, Gilead presented encouraging new data on magrolimab, an immunology drug that was developed by Forty Seven, a sign that the company’s wager could pay off. Gilead’s management is successfully building a pipeline of potential new therapies, Jefferies & Co. analyst Michael Yee said in a note sent to clients.Gilead shares dropped 1.5% early Monday. They now have gained about 20% so far this year, in part because of excitement over remdesivir.Breakthroughs at ASCO could make smaller companies enticing to Gilead and to other giants looking to add to their rosters of experimental therapies. Adaptimmune Therapeutics Plc’s U.S.-traded shares more than doubled in value after the company presented early studies for therapies that could treat a number of cancers, including lung and head and neck tumors.Allogene Therapeutics Inc., which is developing a CAR-T therapy similar to Yescarta, gained 3.5% Friday after it said its treatment benefited 63% of patients with blood cancer in an early-stage trial. Allogene’s founders ran Kite Pharma before selling it to Gilead for $11 billion in 2017.Dueling GiantsLike Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has also sought to refashion itself into a cancer-fighting juggernaut, mostly notably with its $74 billion takeover of Celgene Corp. last year. Even before that transaction, the company was locked in a battle with rival Merck & Co. for supremacy in the market for lung-cancer immunotherapies.Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol-Myers’s Opdivo are blockbusters for each company, and the drugmakers have raced to expand their use in a range of tumor types. But at ASCO, a study of Opdivo in combination with another Bristol-Myers drug, Yervoy, supported what JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Chris Schott said in a note was a “niche role” in treating certain lung-cancer patients -- not one that will upset Keytruda’s dominance.Bristol-Myers shares declined 0.2% on Friday, while Merck advanced 2.1%. Both were little changed before U.S. markets opened Monday.Last year, Opdivo generated $7.2 billion in revenue for Bristol-Myers, while Yervoy brought in $1.5 billion. Together, the two drugs accounted for roughly a third of the company’s sales. Meanwhile, Keytruda generated $11 billion for Merck, about 24% of its sales.Another challenge to Keytruda may come from Switzerland’s cancer titan Roche Holding AG. The drugmaker presented data at ASCO showing that combining the experimental tiragolumab with one of its proven medicines, Tecentriq, worked better than prescribing Tecentriq alone in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. The phase 2 data suggests it “could potentially compete with Merck’s Keytruda in a segment of lung-cancer patients,” wrote Cinney Zhang of Bloomberg Intelligence.Some Chinese drugmakers also showed promising findings in liver cancer. A combination from Innovent Biologics Inc. showed initial efficacy comparable to Roche in hepatocellular carcinoma, for which China accounts for almost than half of new cases. Innovent shares surged 10% in Hong Kong trading Monday.(Updates with share moves for Pfizer, Gilead and Innovent in eighth, 14th and last paragraphs)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Motley Fool
AstraZeneca's Blockbuster Lung Cancer Drug Has a Huge Sales Boost Ahead
Recently reported clinical trial data on Tagrisso shows that it lowers the risk of disease recurrence or death by 83% for some classes of lung cancer patients.
- Zacks
Pharma Stock Roundup: MRK, RHHBY Give Coronavirus Updates,SNY to Sell Stake in REGN
Merck (MRK), Glaxo (GSK) and Roche (RHHBY) make progress in coronavirus research efforts.
- Business Wire
IMFINZI plus tremelimumab Demonstrated Promising Clinical Activity and Tolerability in Patients With Advanced Liver Cancer
Results from the global Phase II Study 22 trial testing AstraZeneca’s tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA4 antibody and potential new medicine, added to IMFINZI® (durvalumab) demonstrated promising clinical activity and tolerability in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is the most common type of liver cancer.1
- Business Wire
IMFINZI® (durvalumab) Showed a Sustained Overall Survival Benefit in 1st-Line Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Phase III CASPIAN Trial
Detailed results from an updated analysis of the Phase III CASPIAN trial showed AstraZeneca’s IMFINZI in combination with a choice of chemotherapies, etoposide plus either carboplatin or cisplatin, demonstrated a sustained, clinically meaningful overall survival (OS) benefit for adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) treated in the 1st-line setting.
- Business Wire
ENHERTU (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) Significantly Improved Tumor Response Rate and Overall Survival in HER2-positive Metastatic Gastric Cancer in Phase II DESTINY-Gastric01 Trial
Detailed results from the positive registrational, randomized controlled Phase II DESTINY-Gastric01 trial showed AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited’s (Daiichi Sankyo) ENHERTU® (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS), a key secondary endpoint, versus chemotherapy.
- Business Wire
ENHERTU (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) Demonstrated Meaningful Clinical Activity in Patients With HER2-mutant Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in Interim Analysis of Phase II DESTINY-Lung01 Trial
Results from the ongoing Phase II DESTINY-Lung01 trial showed AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited’s (Daiichi Sankyo) ENHERTU® (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) achieved a clinically meaningful tumor response in patients with HER2-mutant (HER2m) unresectable and/or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease had progressed following one or more systemic therapies.
- Business Wire
ENHERTU (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) Achieved a Tumor Response Rate of 45.3% in Patients With HER2-Positive Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Phase II DESTINY-CRC01
Results from the ongoing Phase II DESTINY-CRC01 trial showed AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited’s (Daiichi Sankyo) ENHERTU® (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) demonstrated clinically meaningful activity in patients with HER2-positive unresectable and/or metastatic colorectal cancer who received at least two prior lines of standard treatment.
- Stockopedia
Will the Astrazeneca share price run continue?
In this article we will quickly re-cap the broker forecasts for Astrazeneca (LON:AZN). The Astrazeneca share price has risen by 6.23% over the past month and i...
- Stockopedia
Is Astrazeneca’s (LON:AZN) dividend payment at risk?
Dividend cuts are almost always preceded or succeeded by a painful decline in share price - so understanding how to screen out companies whose dividend payment...
- Bloomberg
AstraZeneca Unveils Data Behind New Win For Blockbuster Drug
(Bloomberg) -- AstraZeneca Plc’s blockbuster drug Tagrisso cut the risk of lung cancer death or relapse by four-fifths over three years, according to detailed results from a study that raises survival prospects for patients in the early stages of the deadly disease.Adding Tagrisso to the regimen of early-stage lung cancer patients who had undergone surgery reduced the risk of dying or disease recurrence by 79%, compared with a placebo, according to the research. Patients’ tumors also had a mutation in a cancer-linked gene, called EGFR. AstraZeneca will present the results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference on Sunday, a month and a half after the trial was halted early because of its strong outcome.Tagrisso is Astra’s biggest product, with sales of $982 million in the first quarter of this year. Around 60,000 additional patients may be eligible for treatment if the drug is approved in early-stage, post-surgical lung cancer, according to Dave Fredrickson, vice president for global oncology. Patients would take the drug for two to three years.The study results’ strength suggest that most doctors will adopt the therapy now as the standard of care for this new set of patients, rather than waiting for additional data on overall survival, Sam Fazeli, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, said in a note.AstraZeneca jumped as much as 3.4% in early London trading on Friday. Shares of the Cambridge, England-based company have gained about 50% in the past year.The most important implication of the trial is that it provides a “reason for more early screening to take place for lung cancer patients,” Fredrickson said in an interview. “The improved outcome that we’re seeking is cure.”Early screening often doesn’t take place currently because there are few therapies available compared with those for late-stage lung cancer, he said.After two years of treatment, 89% of patients in the trial treated with Tagrisso remained alive and disease-free, compared with 53% on placebo, Astra said. The results were consistent, whether patients got chemotherapy along with surgery or not.The ASCO conference is a key event in the calendar of oncology researchers and physicians, with scientists showcasing their best work and unveiling results from high-profile trials. This year’s meeting will be online due to the pandemic, with access to all results from the gathering available starting on Friday.(Updates with analyst’s comment in fourth paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Business Wire
TAGRISSO Demonstrated Unprecedented Patient Benefit in the Adjuvant Treatment of EGFR-Mutated Lung Cancer
Detailed results from the Phase III ADAURA trial showed AstraZeneca’s TAGRISSO® (osimertinib) demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in disease-free survival (DFS) in the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage (Stage IB, II and IIIA) epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete tumor resection with curative intent.
