Listing analysis and research matching Astrazeneca:
AstraZeneca's acquisition of Medimmune
AstraZeneca's recent acquisition of Medimmine will affect the future of companies like Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Medarex, Critical Therapeutics, Biota Holdings who have partnerships with MedImmune in a range of areas including oncology, respiratory disease, infectious diseases and lupus. AstraZeneca's plan to merge MedImmune with Cambridge Antibody Technology will be watched keenly by partners in this space.
Biopharmaceutical partnering in China
Multinational pharmaceutical companies are increasingly investing in China through alliances and the building of new centres. Much of the investment is to supplement rather than replace the research and development already occurring outside China and is focused on development and processes than be easily codified and regulated.
Bristol Myers-Squibb expands partnerships
In April 2007 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co entered two collaborations with Pfizer Inc in the field of anticoagulants and metabolic diseases worth up to US$1 billion. The deal comes close on the heals of another deal with AstraZeneca in January 2007 worth up to US$1 billion. Such deals are part of an interesting partnering strategy currently being pursued by Bristol Myers-Squibb to reduce the costs of marketing and sales and concentrate its efforts on discovery and early development. The fact that companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca are beginning to invest such huge sums of money in the discovery and early development efforts of companies like Bristol Myers-Squibb shows how desperate the competition is for big pharmaceutical companies to fill their product pipelines.
Funding research and development through spin-outs
In a bid to cut costs AstraZeneca is spinning out its efforts to find new drugs for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders to a new company called Albireo. Part of the decision reflects AztraZeneca's recent problems with its drug, Nexium, an ulcer treatment, which has been declining in profit and its decision to direct its energies on respiratory, cancer and infectious diseases.
