Astra hails resilient performance

ASTRAZENECA posted better-than-expected profits as key brands such as cholesterol product Crestor helped it weather testing conditions.

The group's fourth quarter haul topped forecasts at 1.7bn, a drop of five per cent, and meant Astra delivered profits for the year of just over 8.2bn, up two per cent.

Chief executive David Brennan said the 2010 performance showed the strength and resilience of Astra's business as it faced up to government pressure on pricing and patent expiries in the United States and Western Europe.

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As well as double-digit sales growth for Crestor, Astra also generated strong revenues from asthma treatment Symbicort and Seroquel XR, which is a medicine for bipolar disorder.

Revenues from emerging markets also grew to more than 3.1bn, with China accounting for more than 630m.

Despite forecasting a challenging few years as the industry looks for new products and faces the loss of exclusivity on existing drugs, Astra said it continued to plan for annual revenues in the range of 17.7bn and 21.5bn over the 2010 to 2014 period.

The group has been hampered by problems with its newest medicines after it discontinued its motavizumab drug, used to prevent serious lung disease, leading to a 287.2m accounting charge.

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It has also experienced further delays in winning approval from US regulators for its heart medicine Brilinta. The US Food and Drug Administration requested further analysis into the blood-thinning pill before clearing the drug for sale.

Astra, which employs 11,000 staff in the UK, shifted its focus on to new drugs like Brilinta in the wake of increased competition from cheaper rivals against its core range.