Astrazeneca sells cholesterol drug to German firm for $320m December 1, 2020 Astrazeneca has announced that it will sell the rights to its blockbuster cholesterol drug to German firm Gruenenthal GmbH for $320m (£240m). The drug, which is called Crestor, used to be one of the pharma giant’s bestselling medicines, bringing in $5bn in revenue in 2015. However, with the marketplace now crowded with alternative treatments, the [...]
Suspected North Korean hackers ‘target’ Covid-19 vaccine maker Astrazeneca November 27, 2020 Suspected North Korean hackers are said to have made multiple attempts to hack into the computer systems of British Covid-19 vaccine maker Astrazeneca. Hackers posed as recruiters on Linkedin and Whatsapp and approached Astrazeneca staff with fake job offers, Reuters reported, citing sources. They then sent documents purporting to be job descriptions that were teeming [...]
Government urges regulator to approve Astrazeneca-Oxford vaccine for emergency supply November 27, 2020 The government has formally asked the UK’s medicines regulator to authorise Astrazeneca and Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency supply. If the vaccine is approved, it could speed up the rollout of the treatment across the UK. Regulators will begin to assess the vaccine when they receive full data from ongoing trials being carried out [...]
Astrazeneca mulling extra vaccine trial to ‘validate’ efficacy after results confusion November 26, 2020 Astrazeneca’s chief executive today said that the firm was likely to carry out another trial of its potential coronavirus vaccine after doubts were raised as to its efficacy. The admission, which was reported by Bloomberg, came after reports that a number of participants had received the wrong dosage during the trials. When the FTSE 100 [...]
Analysis: Why dismay over the Astrazeneca vaccine is misplaced November 23, 2020 Astrazeneca and the University of Oxford’s announcement this morning that their coronavirus vaccine proved 70 per cent effective in late-stage trials would have been bombastic three weeks ago. Alas, timing is everything — and in that time the world has seen a new US President, dozens of national lockdowns and two other (more) successful vaccine [...]
Could anti-vaxxers be barred from offices, pubs and gyms? November 22, 2020 Banning Covid vaccine refusers from offices, restaurants and other venues may lead to expensive discrimination claims, a leading lawyer has warned, even though it is not unlikely that care operators and the NHS may ultimately bar vaccine refusing staff for safety reasons. With the UK moving closer to the rollout of a Coronavirus vaccine, to [...]
Coronavirus: Phase one vaccine rollout will protect ‘99 per cent’ of UK’s at-risk population November 11, 2020 The UK’s top health officials today announced the priority list for vaccination against coronavirus, after health secretary Matt Hancock yesterday said the NHS is preparing to roll out Pfizer’s Covid vaccine from December. Speaking at a Downing Street Covid briefing this morning led by deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, the Joint Committee on Vaccination [...]
Astrazeneca boosts revenue but misses first vaccine delivery target November 5, 2020 Pharma giant Astrazeneca has seen its sales and revenue rise for the year to date despite the ongoing disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE blue-chip said that revenue increased eight per cent to £19.2bn in the first nine months of the year, while sales rose nine per cent. The company, which is working with [...]
Coronavirus: NHS boss confirms health service is preparing for vaccine by Christmas November 4, 2020 The NHS is preparing to distribute potential Covid-19 vaccines in time for Christmas, the head of the health service announced today. Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, said medical chiefs were drawing up plans for wide-scale rollout of a potential vaccine over the next two months, in case one of them is ready in [...]
Weekly outlook, 2-6 November: FTSE heavyweights in spotlight as election day arrives November 2, 2020 It’s election day at last, and while the outcome of Tuesday’s vote in the US will drive the headlines for much of this week and beyond, there’s still a full slate of results and economic updates in store for UK markets. With coronavirus cases now surging at an alarming rate, Boris Johnson has announced a [...]