AZ News from the Street 2015

Discussion in 'AstraZeneca' started by Anonymous, Jan 5, 2015 at 1:35 PM.

Tags: Add Tags
  1. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    And since AZ is under one -- is it two, or three? -- Corporate Integrity Agreements and continues to pay fines for ethical problems, on the order of multiple millions of US dollars, we know we can trust the company to report accurately.

    Sell your stock
     

  2. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    The recent 2 for 1 stock split hides the drop somewhat from the Pfizer offer highs.
     
  3. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Astrazeneca Expands Work With Isis to Use Genes to Fix Diseases
    by Marthe Fourcade, Bloomberg
    August 3, 2015 — 2:20 AM EDT

    AstraZeneca Plc and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. will work together, expanding an earlier collaboration, to seek gene therapy treatments for diseases affecting the heart, kidneys and the body’s metabolism.

    AstraZeneca agreed to pay Isis an upfront fee of $65 million plus development and regulatory milestones for each program that the London-based drugmaker advances to clinical development, the companies said in a statement. Isis, based in Carlsbad, California, will earn tiered double-digit royalties on annual sales of each program.

    AstraZeneca joins Biogen Idec Inc. in seeking to use Isis’s antisense technology platform to identify targets and develop new treatments known as antisense drugs. The idea is to works on the underlying genetic causes of diseases, turning genes on or off to fix a defect.

    “Antisense-based therapies are rapidly gaining momentum in the clinic and becoming an important component of our early stage pipeline,” Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca’s executive vice president for innovative medicines, said in the statement. “By working together we aim to uncover targets and pathways that can be manipulated using antisense drug therapy.”
     
  4. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Express Scripts drops AZ's Onglyza and several other drugs from their formulary

    One of the drugs Express Scripts is excluding for 2016 is AstraZeneca Plc diabetes treatment Onglyza, which had sales of $391 million in the first half of 2015. AstraZeneca was not immediately available for comment

    Express Scripts said it can negotiate lower drug prices when excluding drugs from its coverage list, which determines whether tens of millions of people with private insurance can easily use an insurance co-pay to buy their medicine.
     
  5. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    LOL
     
  6. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    Does anyone believe it will break $50 again?
     
  7. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    Make goal or go home.
     
  8. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    didnt GSK keep it's patent on its device?
     
  9. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    AstraZeneca widens cancer push with up to $500 mln Heptares deal
    9 hours ago

    LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca expanded its push into cancer immunotherapy on Thursday by striking a deal potentially worth more than $500 million with Sosei's biotech unit Heptares, giving it rights to an experimental treatment.

    AstraZeneca said it would pay an initial $10 million for exclusive global rights to HTL-1071, a so-called adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, and could pay more than $500 million if the product is a commercial success.

    The companies will also collaborate to discover further A2A receptor-blocking compounds for use in cancer immunotherapy.

    AstraZeneca is betting on new cancer treatments to revive its fortunes as older medicines go off patent.
     
  10. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    AstraZeneca bags another cancer drug deal, this time with Inovio
    • LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has clinched its third deal in less than a week to bolster its strategically important cancer drug pipeline by signing up rights to an experimental immune system-boosting medicine from Inovio Pharmaceuticals.

      Inovio will get $27.5 million upfront and potential future payments of up to $700 million, depending on the success of its INO-3112 immunotherapy, which targets cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18.

      AstraZeneca said on Monday its MedImmune biotech unit would study INO-3112 in combination with other immunotherapy drugs.

      INO-3112, which is in Phase I/II clinical trials for cervical and head and neck cancers, works by generating killer T-cell responses that are able to destroy HPV 16- and 18-driven tumours. The two HPV types are responsible for more than 70 percent of cervical cancer.

      The deal follows other recent immuno-oncology tie-ups by AstraZeneca with Sosei subsidiary Heptares and Mirati .
     
  11. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    It was split, the shareholders got two quarters for each dollar. Multiply the current price by two -- use the calculator in your cell phone.
     
  12. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Four quarters for each dollar.
     
  13. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Better Dividend Stock: GlaxoSmithKline plc vs. AstraZeneca plc
    Two British drugmakers with mouth-watering -- yet dangerous -- dividends.

    While GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE: GSK) is more than twice as large as AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN), the two pharmaceutical companies have a lot in common. Both are based in the United Kingdom. Both stocks have performed worse than the overall market during pretty much any recent time frame you want to pick. And both GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca boast very high, nearly identical dividend yields -- Glaxo with a 5.7% yield and AstraZeneca with 5.8%.

    But is one of these two British drugmakers the better dividend stock? Yes, although it's a close call. Here's why.

    Track record
    A stock's dividend yield provides only a snapshot. Investors seeking the best dividend stocks need to understand the track records over time. When it comes to historical dividend performance, AstraZeneca appears to come out on top.

    For most of the past 20 years, AstraZeneca's dividend grew at a faster rate than Glaxo's. AstraZeneca's dividend also looks more attractive from a volatility perspective: in 2002, Glaxo slashed its dividend drastically. It took six years for the company's dividend to regain its previous level. AstraZeneca also cut its dividend early in the last decade, but the percentage decrease was relatively small.

    Near term sustainability
    The past is the past, though. What's more important is whether or not a company can keep its dividend payments flowing. On this question, GlaxoSmithKline definitely appears to have an advantage over AstraZeneca.

    Glaxo's dividend payout ratio, which is the percentage of earnings that the company pays out in dividends, currently stands at 41%. That's an appealing figure, because the implication is that Glaxo shouldn't have near-term problems continuing to pay dividends at the current rate, and should still have money left over to invest in the business.

    AstraZeneca, on the other hand, has a payout ratio of 300. In other words, the pharmaceutical company is currently paying out three times as much in dividends as it made in net income. Can this trend continue indefinitely? Nope. Something has to change -- either AstraZeneca's earnings climb dramatically, or its dividend will inevitably be reduced.

    Long term prospectsPayout ratios are also snapshots in time, though. Earnings can improve tremendously or fall like a brick, greatly impacting the ability of a company to pay dividends. The best dividend stocks are simply the best businesses with the best long term earnings prospects. Unfortunately, both GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca appear to have trouble on the horizon.


    Glaxo's blockbuster respiratory drug Advair pulled in over $6 billion last year, even though it lost patent exclusivity several years ago. However, that revenue might soon be in jeopardy: biosimilars could hit the market in 2016. That's not the only challenge that the drugmaker faces. Some of its newer drugs, particularly respiratory drug Breo Ellipta, haven't performed as well as hoped. With competition likely on the way for Advair, Glaxo needs revenue from its more recent drugs to pick up, as well as some home runs from its pipeline.

    AstraZeneca's outlook is also pretty gloomy. The company plunged off the patent cliff with loss of exclusivity for antipsychotic drug Seroquel and acid reflux drug Nexium. To make matters worse, AstraZeneca loses patent protection for big-selling cholesterol drug Crestor next year. While the company has some promising new drugs, including blood-thinner Brilinta and diabetes drug Onglyza, as well as plenty of future growth drivers in their pipeline, this won't be enough to offset the revenue lost due to patents expiring anytime soon.

    Better betThe somber truth is that the dividends of both GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca could take a hit in the future. Of the two, Glaxo gets the nod as the better dividend stock primarily because of its lower payout ratio. Although this ratio seems quite likely to worsen within the next couple of years as rivals for Advair enter the market, Glaxo has at least a little time on its side.


    While Glaxo might be the better pick over AstraZeneca, investors looking for strong dividend stocks should probably search elsewhere. The chances that both of these British drugmakers cut their dividend payments down the road appear to be relatively high. A better bet doesn't always translate to the best bet.
     
  14. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Of course I am a fool as all of us are and we know very little about what is going on behind the scenes. And of course the Rx companies are known for being politically correct while they hide the truth. OK that said:

    The reason the dividends are so high is to prop up the stock price. Sell puts if you want to win big, definitely do not hold long. Mr. Market is manic depressive and right now in my opinion Mr. Market is paying too much for the dividend.
     
  15. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    Buy puts. I told you I am a fool!
     
  16. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    European heart experts okay longer use of blood thinners
    August 29, 2015 9:21 AM

    LONDON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - European heart experts on Saturday endorsed the potential use of multiple blood thinning drugs for heart attack patients beyond one year, in a move that may boost demand for AstraZeneca's Brilinta.

    New European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines state for the first time that use of so-called P2Y12 inhibitors in addition to aspirin beyond one year "may be considered after careful assessment of the ischaemic and bleeding risks of the patient".

    The move follows an assessment of two large clinical trials, known as PEGASUS and DAPT, showing that prolonged dual drug treatment can reduce the risk of repeat heart attacks or strokes in patients with previous heart problems.

    Plavix, which was developed by Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb and is now available as a cheap generic, is the most widely used P2Y12. But Brilinta has shown additional benefits and AstraZeneca is working to ramp up its use.

    Following the success of the PEGASUS trial, the British drugmaker is hoping for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for extended use of Brilinta as early as next week.

    Giving Brilinta to patients who had a heart attack over a year ago could more than double the number of people eligible for the medicine.

    Growing Brilinta is a top priority for AstraZeneca, which has forecast that annual sales of the drug could reach $3.5 billion by 2023.

    The new ESC guidelines, announced at the organisation's annual meeting in London, also allow for shortened dual drug use of just three to six months, if patients are at high risk of bleeding, as well as extended use up to 30 months.
     
  17. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Some more DPP-4 class effects: The number of cases of adverse events approximately tracks the usage rate for each individual drug agent.


    FDA warns of severe joint pain risk with DPP-4 diabetes drugs
    August 28, 2015 1:37 PM

    Aug 28 (Reuters) - A class of diabetes drugs that include Merck & Co Inc's Januvia have been linked with severe joint pain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.

    The FDA said it had identified 33 cases of severe joint pain in patients taking a class of drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors between Oct. 16, 2006, when the first one was approved, through Dec. 31, 2013.

    The most frequent number of cases, 28, occurred with Januvia, known generically as sitagliptin. Five cases were reported with AstraZeneca Plc's Onglyza (saxagliptin) two with Boehringer Ingelheim's Tradjenta (linagliptin) and one with Takeda Pharmaceutical's Nesina (alogliptin).

    The FDA said that in 20 of the cases the DPP-4 inhibitor was suspected as a cause of the pain and was discontinued within a month after the onset of symptoms. In eight of the remaining 13 cases, a period of 44 days to a year elapsed between the onset of symptoms and discontinuation of the drug.

    The drugs are used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. The FDA said patients should not stop taking their drugs but should contact their doctor if they experience severe and persistent joint pain.
     
  18. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Valeant Buys Abandoned AstraZeneca Psoriasis Drug
    BY AMY REEVES, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
    10:50 AM ET
      • Specialty-drug giant and IBD 50 stock Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) agreed to pay big pharma AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) up to $445 million in a licensing deal for a psoriasis drug candidate that had proved effective but also shown a suicide risk in clinical trials.

        Valeant agreed to pay AstraZeneca $100 million upfront for brodalumab, and committed up to $170 million in prelaunch milestones and $175 million in sales milestones. As phase three studies in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis have already been completed on the drug, Valeant said it plans to file for FDA approval in Q4.

        "We are delighted we were able to reach a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca to commercialize brodalumab, which is potentially the most efficacious therapy yet for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis," Valeant CEO Michael Pearson said in a statement. "We remain fully committed to dermatology and will continue to advance our pipeline of internally developed and acquired products."

        What Valeant's press release didn't mention is that AstraZeneca's previous partner in brodalumab, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), had abandoned the program back in May when several patients in the clinical trials killed themselves. Though the numbers were small compared with the 3,180 subjects who'd gone through the trials, Amgen concluded that the label would be too restrictive to be worth its continued investment.

        Novartis, Lilly Have IL-17s

        Amgen's reasoning was no doubt influenced by the fact that brodalumab will face a crowded field. Brodalumab is one of a new class called IL-17 antibodies, which includes Novartis' (NYSE:NVS) recently approved Cosentyx and Eli Lilly 's (NYSE:LLY) still-in-development ixekizumab. Neither has shown a suicide risk in trials.

        In January, Valeant acquired Dendreon, maker of innovative but underperforming cancer drug Provenge after that company went bankrupt. Last month it picked up Sprout Pharmaceuticals, maker of the much-publicized but risky female-libido pill Addyi.

        "It's very Valeant-esque in many ways," Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat wrote of the brodalumab deal in an email to clients. "Picking up an abandoned biopharma asset. Also signals Valeant's increased interest in launch-ready assets (and hence, continued 'organic growth'). Recall recent deals like Salix (IBS-D launch), Sprout (Addyi launch) and now this IL-17 ahead of FDA filing."

        Raffat noted that Valeant committed little money upfront for an entree into a large market — $5 billion a year for psoriasis alone. Cosentyx is already annualizing $300 million in sales in just its sixth month, in an industry where drugs typically take years to hit their peak sales.

        Nonetheless, Valeant stock was down 3% in early trading in the stock market today, near 224, as the stock market in general got off to a poor start. AstraZeneca stock was down 1.5%, near 31.
     
  19. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Flu Mist deal in Japan

    AstraZeneca enters license agreement to develop FluMist in Japan (AZN) : AstraZeneca announced that its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, has entered an agreement granting Daiichi Sankyo (DSNKY) an exclusive license to develop and commercialise FluMist Quadrivalent in Japan.
     
  20. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    AstraZeneca wins U.S. approval for longer use of blood thinner
    By Bill Berkrot and Ben Hirschler


    • (Reuters) - U.S. regulators have approved a new dose of AstraZeneca's blood thinner Brilinta for longer-term use in patients with a history of heart attacks, boosting prospects for a drug the company thinks will eventually sell $3.5 billion a year.

      The green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced late on Thursday, could theoretically more than double the number of people eligible for the medicine.

      In practice, while the new label will certainly help, long-duration therapy may be reserved for patients with particularly high heart risks and little danger of bleeding complications, said Deutsche Bank analyst Richard Parkes.

      The FDA approved Brilinta at a new 60 milligram (mg) dose to be taken with aspirin beyond a year after a heart attack. The drug, used to prevent blood clots that can cause heart attacks, strokes and deaths, had previously been approved at a higher dose just for use during the 12 months after a heart attack.

      The FDA move comes a week after European heart experts endorsed the potential use of Brilinta and similar blood clot preventers beyond a year.

      The expanded approval suggests patients could be taking Brilinta for considerably longer than now and the FDA did not set any limit on the duration of treatment.

      Tom Keith-Roach, vice president for Brilinta at AstraZeneca, told Reuters the FDA endorsement would shift thinking among heart doctors and expand the market, as clinical practice moves increasingly towards longer-term drug use.

      Only about a quarter of acute coronary patients in the United States who start on Brilinta, or rival blood-thinners, remain on treatment for 12 months. In Europe, more patients do receive therapy for a year but very few are treated beyond that.

      "We're not going to see fireworks but this will support really strong and consistent growth over time. I've got a nice straight line that goes from our current reported sales to my $3.5 billion," Keith-Roach said.

      Selling more Brilinta is a high priority for the British drugmaker. During a takeover battle with Pfizer last year, it forecast annual sales of the drug could reach $3.5 billion by 2023.

      Consensus forecasts currently point to sales of $1.7 billion by 2020, according to Thomson Reuters Cortellis, suggesting considerable upside if AstraZeneca hits its target. Brilinta sales rose 23 percent to $144 million in the second quarter.

      Under the new FDA recommendations, patients with a history of heart attacks can be treated with 60 mg of Brilinta twice daily along with a daily maintenance dose of aspirin of 75 to 100 mg, beyond the first year's treatment.

      AstraZeneca also has clinical trial programs under way to expand the use of Brilinta in stroke, peripheral arterial disease and diabetes.