Pharma Business - January 16, 2015
Astra CEO Not Worried by Pressures to Drop Prices
AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot told the audience at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA, that he is not worried about predictions that payers such as Express Scripts will be ramping up the pressure on global pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug prices. According to Soriot, AstraZeneca “has built pricing pressure into […]
In a new job - January 8, 2015
Astra Names New Staff
AstraZeneca announced that Robert Iannone would be taking over its immuno-oncology drug development operations, a little more than a month after former senior vice president and head of immuno-oncology Rachel Humphrey left the company for undisclosed personal reasons at the end of November 2014. At about the same time, Peter Emtage, who was part of […]
Companies - December 18, 2014
AstraZeneca Closing UK Facility
As AstraZeneca continues restructuring, it is closing yet another facility, this one in Avonmouth, U.K. The plant is scheduled to close in 2016 or 2017, eliminating more than 250 skilled jobs. “I understand the business reasons behind the decision but at the same time it’s a great shame the entire plant is closing down,” said Darren […]
Economic Analysis - December 15, 2014
Expired Patents to Lower Sales
Pharmaceutical companies will suffer an estimated $65 billion drop in sales by 2019 due to the patent expirations of several leading drugs, and AstraZeneca will be one of the hardest hit, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. Besides AstraZeneca, the company’s report states that the drug makers hit hardest will include Otsuka and Eli […]
Companies - December 12, 2014
AstraZeneca Closing Mass. Plant
AstraZeneca announced it will close a plant in Westborough, Massachusetts (U.S). in 2015, putting 180 employees out of work, and move the production from Massachusetts to plants in Sweden and Australia. The facility will lose some jobs in March and the rest throughout the year with the plant closing by year end, the Worcester Telegram reports. “We […]
Regulatory compliance - December 9, 2014
AstraZeneca Scores Victory in Pay-for-Delay Case
In what could become a significant decision for the pharmaceutical industry, a jury in U.S. federal court found that AstraZeneca’s deal with Ranbaxy Laboratories to settle a patent fight over its heartburn medication Nexium did not violate antitrust laws. A group of pharmacies, wholesalers and insurers had sued over the agreement. As Bloomberg reported, this is the […]
