When Pascal Soriot presented encouraging half-year results last month, the chief executive of Astrazeneca primed the markets to expect an “intense news flow” about the company’s pipeline of drugs during the rest of the year (Alex Ralph writes). He has been as good as his word.
A relentless series of late-stage trial results and regulatory approvals have helped to replenish a medicines cabinet ravaged by expiring patents for old blockbusters, returning the company to annual product sales growth for the first time since 2009 — and there was a double dose of good news for investors and patients yesterday, which briefly pushed Astra’s shares to record highs.
The pharmaceuticals group announced positive results from an eagerly anticipated late-stage trial of Lynparza, one of its most