AstraZeneca completes $2.1bn takeover of Almirall franchise November 3, 2014 UK drug giant AstraZeneca yesterday completed its acquisition of rights for Spanish pharmaceutical firm Almirall’s respiratory franchise. The $2.1bn (£1.3bn) deal gives AstraZeneca ownership of the development and commercialisation of the business which includes drugs like Eklira, Duaklir Genuair and treatments for illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AstraZeneca said the deal [...]
Pfizer share price rises on third quarter earnings – but no hint of new AstraZeneca bid October 28, 2014 Shares in pharmaceutical giant Pfizer rose 1.8 per cent in New York pre-market trading after it posted expectation-beating third-quarter results. Although earnings for its third quarter fell to 57 cents a share, down from 58 cents a share a year earlier, the figure beat analyst expectations of 55 cents a share. Revenues also fell, to [...]
Scuppered Pfizer-AstraZeneca deal leaves UK M&A at an all-time low September 2, 2014 Pfizer's thwarted acquisition of AstraZeneca may have kept proponents of British business happy – but it also helped push the number of mergers and acquisitions taking place in the UK to a historic low in the second quarter of 2014, official figures published this morning showed. The number of mergers and acquisitions involving UK companies [...]
US clears Astrazeneca over trial data for new heart drug Brilinta August 19, 2014 British drug giant Astrazeneca has been cleared by the US government over concerns about the trial process for its new heart drug Brilinta. The American department of justice was investigating the clinical trial conducted by Astrazeneca over concerns that too many patients were sourced from eastern Europe for the study. Perceived discrepancies in data reported [...]
Astrazeneca sweetens the pill as profit forecasts help boss Pascal Soriot July 31, 2014 British drugmaker Astrazeneca yesterday confounded City expectations by raising its sales and profit forecasts for this year, two months after fending off a near-£70bn takeover approach from bigger US rival Pfizer. Astrazeneca, the country’s second-largest pharmaceutical firm, reported a second consecutive quarter of revenue growth, beating City forecasts with second-quarter revenues of $6.5bn (£3.8bn), up [...]
Astrazeneca and Pfizer: It’s a conscious uncoupling as drugmakers go separate ways July 30, 2014 Drugmakers Astrazeneca and Pfizer yesterday put to bed their “will they, won’t they” bromance by signing new deals with other companies. FTSE 100-listed Astrazeneca, which fought off a £69bn takeover approach from larger US rival Pfizer in late May, said it had agreed to buy Spanish firm Almirall’s lung drugs business for up to $2.1bn [...]
Astrazeneca boss Pascal Soriot buys £2m shares July 1, 2014 The chief executive of Astrazeneca has put his money where his mouth is and invested in £2m-worth of shares in the drugs company. Pascal Soriot purchased 46,200 shares at a cost of 4,345p each. The drug giant turned down a £55-per- share takeover bid from the US’s Pfizer in May.
Astrazeneca knocked by US regulator drug verdict June 26, 2014 UK pharma giant Astrazeneca was dealt a blow yesterday when US regulators knocked back its bid to gain accelerated approval for a new ovarian cancer drug. Astrazeneca’s pipeline is under particular scrutiny after chief exec Pascal Soriot boasted of a bright and innovative future while fighting off a £69bn takeover bid from US rival Pfizer [...]
Pfizer blames price for Astrazeneca deal collapse June 11, 2014 Drug giant Pfizer yesterday said the £69bn bid to take over UK rival Astrazeneca collapsed due to price disagreements, as shares in the UK company rallied in the hope of a revival of talks. Pfizer finance chief Frank D’Amelio told a US healthcare conference yesterday that the two sides did not come to a deal [...]
AstraZeneca releases statement on Pfizer’s pulled £69bn bid May 27, 2014 AstraZeneca has released a statement this morning confirming Pfizer’s shelving of its controversial takeover bid for the UK drugs firm. Yesterday, US Pfizer confirmed it's dropped the £69bn approach. It will now have to wait until the end of November, should it want to make another offer for Astra. Chairman Leif Johansson commented: We note [...]