AstraZeneca

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We are embedding data science and Artificial Intelligence across our R&D to enable our scientists to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. Publications Our innovative science means a strong track-record of publication in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the foundation of scientific advancement.

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167 projects in our pipeline

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Our science At AstraZeneca, science is at the core of everything we do. But more than that, science is who we are.

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AstraZeneca plc: : : Industry PredecessorsFounded6 April 1999Headquarters, England, United KingdomArea servedGlobalKey peopleProductsPharmaceutical products Revenue 24.384 billion (2019) US$2.924 billion (2019) US$1.227 billion (2019)Number of employees61,100 (2019)WebsiteAstraZeneca plc is a British-Swedish and company. In 2013, it moved its headquarters to , , and concentrated its R&D in three sites: Cambridge; , Maryland, USA (location of ) for work on ; and (near ) in Sweden, for research on traditional chemical drugs. AstraZeneca has a portfolio of products for major disease areas including , , , infection, , and .

The company was founded in 1999 through the merger of the Swedish and the British (itself formed by the demerger of the pharmaceutical operations of in 1993). Since the merger it has been among the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and has made numerous corporate acquisitions, including (in 2006), (in 2007), Spirogen (in 2013) and (by MedImmune in 2014).

AstraZeneca has a primary listing on the and is a constituent of the . It has secondary listings on the and the .

Contents History[] was founded in 1913 in , Sweden, by 400 doctors and . In 1993 the British chemicals company its businesses and its and specialities businesses, to form . Finally, in 1999 Astra and Zeneca Group merged to form AstraZeneca plc, with its headquarters in London. In 1999, AstraZeneca identified as a new location for the company's US base the "Fairfax-plus" site in North Wilmington, .

2000–06[] In 2002, its drug Iressa was approved in Japan as monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. On 3 January 2004 Dr Robert Nolan, a former director of AstraZeneca, formed the management team of ZI Medical.

In 2005, the company acquired KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, a UK biotech company, for £ 120 m and entered into an anti-cancer collaboration agreement with . It also announced that it had become a Diamond Member of the Pennsylvania Bio commerce organisation.

In 2006, following a collaborative relationship begun in 2004, AstraZeneca acquired for £702 million.

2007–12: The patent cliff and subsequent acquisitions[] In February 2007, AstraZeneca agreed to buy Arrow Therapeutics, a company focused on the discovery and development of anti-viral therapies, for US$ 150 million. AstraZeneca's pipeline, and "patent cliff", was the subject of much speculation in April 2007 leading to pipeline-boosting collaboration and acquisition activities. A few days later AstraZeneca acquired US company for about US$ 15.2 billion to gain flu vaccines and an anti-viral treatment for infants; AstraZeneca subsequently consolidated all of its biologics operations into a dedicated biologics division called MedImmune.

In 2010, AstraZeneca acquired Novexel Corp, an antiobiotics discovery company formed in 2004 as a spin-off of the Sanofi-Aventis anti-infectives division. Astra acquired the experimental antibiotic NXL-104 (CEF104) (CAZ-AVI) through this acquisition.

In 2011, AstraZeneca acquired Guangdong BeiKang Pharmaceutical Company, a Chinese generics business.

In February 2012, AstraZeneca and Amgen announced a collaboration on treatments for inflammatory diseases. Then in April 2012, AstraZeneca acquired Ardea Biosciences, another biotechnology company, for $1.26 billion. In June 2012, AstraZeneca and announced a two-stage deal for the joint acquisition of the biotechnology company . It was agreed that Bristol-Myers Squibb would acquire Amylin for $5.3 billion in cash and the assumption of $1.7 billion in debt, with AstraZeneca then paying $3.4 billion in cash to Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Amylin being folded into an existing diabetes joint venture between AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

2013 restructuring and beyond[] 2013[] In March 2013 AstraZeneca announced plans for a major corporate restructuring, including the closure of its research and development activities at and Loughborough in the UK and at Lund in Sweden, investment of $500 million in the construction of a new research and development facility in Cambridge and the concentration of R&D in three locations: Cambridge, Gaithersburg, Maryland (location of MedImmune, where it will work on biotech drugs), and (near ) in Sweden, for research on traditional chemical drugs. AstraZeneca also announced that it would move its corporate headquarters from London to Cambridge in 2016. That announcement included the announcement that it would cut 1,600 jobs; three days later it announced it would cut an additional 2,300 jobs. It also announced that it would focus on three therapeutic areas: Respiratory Inflammation & Autoimmunity, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disease, and Oncology. In October 2013, AstraZeneca announced it would acquire biotech oncology company Spirogen for around US$ 440 million.

2014[] On 19 May 2014 AstraZeneca rejected a "final offer" from of £ 55 per share, which valued the company at £69.4 billion (US$ 117 billion). The companies had been meeting since January 2014. If the takeover had proceeded Pfizer would have become the world's biggest drug maker. The transaction would also have been the biggest foreign takeover of a British company. Many in Britain, including politicians and scientists, had opposed the deal. In July 2014 the company entered into a deal with to acquire its subsidiary Almirall Sofotec and its lung treatments including the drug, Eklira. The US$ 2.1 billion deal included an allocation of US$ 1.2 billion for development in the respiratory franchise, one of AstraZeneca's three target therapeutic areas announced the year before. In August 2014 the company announced it had entered into a three-year collaboration with on . In September 2014 the company would join forces with in developing and commercialising its candidate – AZD3292 – used for the treatment of . The deal could yield up to US$ 500 million for the company. In November 2014 the company's R&D operation, MedImmune, agreed to acquire for more than US$ 150 million. The company also began a Phase I/II trial collaboration with and investigating combination treatments. Also in November of the same year, the company agreed to sell its treatment business to Aegerion Pharmaceuticals for more than US$ 325 million. In December, the company received approval for in the treatment of women with advanced who have a genetic mutation. A major criterion governing the drugs approval was, on average, its ability to shrink tumours in patients for 7.9 months.

2015[] In February, the company announced it would acquire the US and Canadian rights to Actavis' branded respiratory drug business for an initial sum of $600 million. Later in the same month the company announced it would partner with Orca Pharmaceuticals to develop –related orphan nuclear receptor gamma inhibitors for use in the treatment of a number of autoimmune diseases, which could generate up to $122.5 million for Orca. The company also announced their plan to spend $40 million creating a new subsidiary focused on small molecule anti-infectives – primarily in the research of the inhibitor, , which is currently in Phase II for the treatment of . The company underwrote twenty out of thirty-two seats of a new Cambridge-Gothenburg service by .

In mid-March the company announced it would co commercialise along with in a deal worth up to $825 million. Towards the end of April the company announced a number of collaborations worth an estimated $1.8 billion; firstly, to develop and commercialise MEDI4736, with , for use against , syndromes, and with AstraZeneca receiving $450 million. The second of two-deals is an agreement to study a combination treatment of MEDI4736 and Innate Pharma’s Phase II anti-NKG2A antibody for up to $1.275 billion. The company's Medimmune arm also launched collaborative clinical trials with , investigating combination treatments for cancer. The trials will assess combinations of MEDI4736 and one of Juno Therapeutics' CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell candidates. In late June the company announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with Eolas Therapeutics on the Eolas Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonist (EORA) program for smoking cessation and other treatments. In July the company announced it would sell off its rights to Entocort () to Tillotts Pharma for $215 million. In July 2015, announced it would acquire the rare cancer drug Caprelsa () from AstraZeneca for up to $300 million. In August, the company announced it has acquired the global rights to develop and commercialise Heptares Therapeutics drug candidate HTL-1071, which focuses on blocking the A2A receptor, in a deal worth up to $510 million. In the same month the company's MedImmune subsidiary acquire exclusive rights to Inovio Pharmaceuticals INO-3112 immunotherapy, currently in Phase I/II, under an agreement which could net more than $727.5 million for Inovio. INO-3112 targets types 16 and 18. In September, Valeant licensed from the company for up to $445 million. On 6 November it was reported that AstraZeneca acquired ZS Pharma for $2.7 billion. In December the company announced its intention to acquire the respiratory portfolio of – namely and – for $575 million A day later, the company announced it had taken a 55% majority stake in Acerta for $4 billion. As part of the transaction the company will gain commercial rights to Acerta's irreversible oral inhibitor, (ACP-196), which is currently in Phase III development for B-cell blood cancers and in Phase I or II clinical trials in solid tumours. In 2015, it was the eighth-largest drug company in the world based on sales revenue.

2017[] In July 2017, the company's CEO Pascal Soriot said that would not affect its commitment to its current plans in the United Kingdom. However, it had slowed decision making for new investment projects waiting for post-Brexit regulatory regime to settle down. In September 2017, the company's chairman Leif Johansson planned in taking "first steps" in moving their research and manufacturing, operations away from the United Kingdom, If there is a hard Brexit. In 2017, it was the eleventh-largest drug company in the world based on sales and ranked seventh based on R&D investment. In January EVP Pam Cheng stated that AstraZeneca has ignited startup of duplicate QA testing facility in Sweden and has initiated hiring in Sweden.

2018[] In February 2018, AstraZeneca announced it was spinning off six early-stage experimental drugs into a new biotechnology-focused company, to be known as , valued at US$ 250 million.

2019[] In March 2019, AstraZeneca announced it will pay up to $6.9 billion to work with Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd on an experimental treatment for breast cancer. AstraZeneca plans to use some of the proceeds of a $3.5 billion share issue to fund the deal. The deal on the drug known as sent shares in Japan’s Daiichi soaring 16%.

In September 2019, the company announced that it would cease drug production at its German headquarters in , leading to the loss of 175 jobs by the end of 2021.

In October 2019, AstraZeneca announced it would sell the global commercial rights for its drug to treat acid reflux to German pharmaceutical company Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH for as much as $276 million.

2020[] In February 2020, AstraZeneca agreed to sublicense its global rights (except Europe, Canada and Israel) to Movantik (naloxegol) to Redhill Biopharma.

In March 2020, the company announced that it would be donating , including 9 million face masks, to help support various international health organisations mitigating the . In April, the Chief Executive, , reported that the company was working with and the to develop a new laboratory capable of conducting 30,000 tests per day. The company also announced plans for a clinical trial to assess the potential use of in the treatment of .

Acquisition history[] The following is an illustration of the company's major mergers and acquisitions and historical predecessors:

AstraZeneca AcquisitionsOperations[] The AstraZeneca R&D facility in , AstraZeneca develops, manufactures and sells pharmaceutical and biotechnology products to treat disorders in the , , , , , and areas.

AstraZeneca has its corporate headquarters in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and its main (R&D) centers are in Cambridge (UK), Gaithersburg (Maryland, US), Gothenburg/Mölndal (Sweden) and Warsaw (Poland).

Products[] The following products are found on the AstraZeneca website. names are given in parentheses following the brand name.

This list is ; you can help by .–

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– Infectious diseases

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– and inflammatory diseases

Orphan drugs[] In April 2015, AstraZeneca's drug was approved as an for the treatment of in the United States. In February 2016, AstraZeneca announced that a of tremelimumab as a treatment for mesothelioma failed to meet its primary endpoint.

Senior management[] As of 2008, David Brennan was paid $1,574,144 for his role as chief executive officer.

On 26 April 2012 it was announced that Brennan was to retire early in the June of that year In August 2012, was named CEO of AstraZeneca.

It was also announced that would succeed as Non-Executive chairman on 1 June 2012, three months earlier than previously announced, and would become Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee after (the 2012) Annual General Meeting.

Controversies[] Seroquel[] In April 2010 AstraZeneca settled a lawsuit brought by for $520 million to settle allegations that the company defrauded , , and other government-funded health care programs in connection with its marketing and promotional practices for the blockbuster atypical antipsychotic, . According to the settlement agreement, AstraZeneca targeted its illegal marketing of the anti-psychotic Seroquel towards doctors who do not typically treat schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, such as physicians who treat the elderly, primary care physicians, pediatric and adolescent physicians, and in long-term care facilities and prisons.

In March 2011, AstraZeneca settled a in the United States totalling $68.5 million to be divided up to 38 states.

Nexium[] The company's most commercially successful medication is (Nexium). The primary uses are treatment of , treatment and maintenance of , treatment of caused by , prevention of in those on chronic therapy, and treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers associated with . When it is manufactured the result is a mixture of two , R and S. Two years before the omeprazole patent expired, AstraZeneca patented S-omeprazole in pure form, pointing out that since some people metabolise R-omeprazole slowly, pure S-omeprazole treatment would give higher dose efficiency and less variation between individuals. In March 2001, the company began to market , as it would a brand new drug.

The (R)-enantiomer of omeprazole is metabolized exclusively by the enzyme CYP2C19, which is expressed in very low amounts by 3% of the population. Treated with a normal dose of the enantiomeric mixture, these persons will experience blood levels five-times higher than those with normal CYP2C19 production. In contrast, esomeprazole is metabolized by both CYP2C19 and CYP3A4, providing less-variable drug exposure. While omeprazole is approved only at doses of up to 20 mg for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux, esomeprazole is approved for doses up to 40 mg.

In 2007, , former of the and a lecturer in at the , said in , a German-language weekly newsmagazine, that AstraZeneca's scientists had misrepresented their research on the drug's efficiency, saying "Instead of using presumably comparable doses [of each drug], the company's scientists used Nexium in higher dosages. They compared 20 and 40 mg Nexium with 20 mg . With the cards having been marked in that way, Nexium looked like an improvement – which however was only small and shown in only two of the three studies."

Bildman fraud, and faithless servant clawback[] On 4 February 1998, Astra USA sued Lars Bildman, its former president and chief executive officer, seeking $15 million for the company. The sum included $2.3 million in company funds he allegedly used to fix up three of his homes, plus money the company paid as the result of the EEOC investigation. Astra's lawsuit alleged Bildman sexually harassed and intimidated employees, used company funds for and prostitutes, destroyed and , and concocted "tales of involving ex- and competitors. This was in a last-ditch effort to distract attention from the real wrongdoer, Bildman himself." Bildman had already in for failing to report more than $1 million in income on his ; in addition, several female co-workers filed personal sexual-harassment lawsuits.

In Astra USA v. Bildman, 914 N.E.2d 36 (Mass. 2009), applying New York's doctrine, the court held that a company's employee who had engaged in financial misdeeds and sexual harassment must "forfeit all of his salary and bonuses for the period of disloyalty." The court held that this was the case even if the employee "otherwise performed valuable services," and that the employee was not entitled to recover restitution for the value of those other services. The decision attracted a good deal of attention by legal commentators.

Study[] In 2004, research participant while enrolled in an industry-sponsored pharmaceutical trial comparing three FDA-approved atypical antipsychotics: , , and . University of Minnesota Professor of Bioethics noted that Markingson was enrolled in the study against the wishes of his mother, Mary Weiss, and that he was forced to choose between enrolling in the study or being involuntarily committed to a state mental institution. A 2005 FDA investigation cleared the university. Nonetheless, controversy around the case has continued. A article resulted in a group of university faculty members sending a public letter to the university Board of Regents urging an external investigation into Markingson's death.

Transfer mispricing[] In 2010 AstraZeneca agreed to pay £505 million to settle a UK tax dispute related to transfer mispricing.

Doping in cycling[] On July 27, 2015, () returned a positive doping test result for the banned blood-booster in an out-of-competition control on June 16, 2015. FG-4592 () is in phase 3 clinical trials and has not yet been commercialised. The drug was developed jointly by FibroGen and AstraZeneca. Unlike (EPO), which directly stimulates the production of red blood cells, FG-4592 is taken orally, and stimulates natural production of EPO in a manner similar to altitude training.

See also[] Notes and references[] External links[] ProductsPredecessors and acquired companiesPeople currentdefunctgovernment and regulatory bodiesindustry and professional bodiesbooks and journalsother companies of the United Kingdom → companies of (including the )-based corporations (rank in the 2017 list)-based corporations (rank in the 2017 list)Other notable Philadelphia-based businessesNotable Philadelphia-based professional partnershipsOther notable Delaware Valley-based businessesNotable Delaware Valley-based US headquarters of foreign businessesNotable Delaware Valley-based division headquarters of US corporations [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1]Retrieved from "": Hidden categories: AstraZeneca makes multi-million COVID-19 vaccine dose promise but ...

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AstraZeneca FactsLast modified: February 24, 2020 AstraZenecaUK-based drug company AstraZeneca focuses on drugs that treat Type 2 diabetes, cancer and respiratory issues. The company’s first blockbuster drug was the numbing agent lidocaine, developed in 1948. But in the 2000s, it faced a number of scandals and litigation over its antipsychotic Seroquel.

Last modified: February 24, 2020AstraZeneca is an international biopharmaceutical company that produces and markets medicines used by millions of people around the world.

Key therapeutic areas for AstraZeneca include:With more than 50,000 employees and $23 billion in revenue in 2016, the Cambridge-based company continues to rank among the largest drug companies in the world. Formed by the merger of two companies, Astra AB and Zeneca Group PLC in 1999, the company had early success with drugs like the pain-numbing agent lidocaine.

In 2017, the company had a big win when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its new bladder cancer drug, Imfinzi (durvalumab). According to analysts, the drug could make $6.5 billion.

But AstraZeneca also had its share of legal trouble, paying more than $1 billion in federal fines and legal settlements for corrupting clinical trials and illegally promoting antipsychotics. It also faces several lawsuits filed by patients who say the drugmaker’s products injured them.

History of AstraZeneca Astra AB was founded in 1913 in Sodertalje, Sweden as an attempt to help Sweden compete with German and Swiss medicine, but the company was unable to achieve ambitious goals when World War I began. A dyestuffs company called ASF bought Astra in 1918 to compete in the chemical industry, but the company struggled to turn a profit for the next decade.

Astra finally became profitable in 1929, eventually increasing sales 100-fold by 1957. The company took its first step into independent research in the 1930s by developing drugs like Hepaforte — a treatment for a disease that prevents the body from absorbing enough Vitamin B-12. The company purchased rivals Tika Pharmaceuticals and Paul G. Nordstrom’s factories in 1942 to become the dominant drug company in Sweden.

In 1948, Astra developed the blockbuster numbing agent Xylocaine (lidocaine), giving it a worldwide presence for the first time. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it three years later, and the U.S. became its largest market. The success of the drug allowed Astra to invest more money into research.

AstraZeneca's R&D Site in Mölndal, SwedenExpansion of Astra The company expanded worldwide, forming subsidiaries in Europe, the U.S., South America and Australia by the 1970s. Astra began focusing solely on pharmaceuticals, selling off all of its other assets by the 80s. When it launched treatments for ulcers in 1988, Astra became one of the fastest-growing companies in the world.

During the 1990s, Astra more than doubled its number of employees. Knowing its patents for ulcer drugs would expire in the early 2000s, it invested millions of dollars into research and developed six drugs that launched in 1997.

Merge with Zeneca Group PLC Though its roots trace back to the 1920s, Zeneca was a relatively young company when it merged with Astra in 1998. Zeneca was a product of a 1993 demerger of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), headquartered in London.

Fact Zeneca bought Astra for $35 billion in December 1998, forming the new company AstraZeneca.ICI began making pharmaceuticals in the 1940s and 50s, but separated its businesses in 1993. Zeneca formed from the demerger and rode on the successes of drugs developed during its time with ICI. With patents due to expire in the early 2000s and few products in development, Zeneca saw a merger with Astra as a wise, strategic move.

In December 1998, Zeneca bought Astra for $35 billion. The new company, AstraZeneca, was the fourth-largest in the world, with a value of $67 billion, when the merger completed in 1999. Each company brought blockbuster drugs with it. Astra brought , a drug to treat acid reflux and heartburn, and Zeneca brought Nolvadex (tamoxifen) to treat breast cancer.

Seroquel Scandals Early on, the company had a history of playing it safe. In the 1970s, Astra saw the future of antidepressants. It developed the first called zimelidine, and began selling it 1982. But the drug produced a rare side effect that could damage the nervous system, and the company recalled it a year later. By recalling zimelidine, it avoided potential catastrophic losses from possible lawsuits.

But it had already received harsh criticism for its involvement in scandals for its blockbuster antipsychotics, Seroquel and Seroquel XR. Critics say the company was more focused on maximizing profits while it still had the patent on the drug than on patient and trial participant safety.

In addition to paying $350 million to resolve more than 23,000 lawsuits that allege Seroquel can cause diabetes, the company paid to settle illegal marketing charges. It also faced a number of scandals including corrupt data in studies for marketing the drug to children, a sex scandal and a poorly run clinical trial that could have compromised patient safety and data reliability.

Marketing Seroquel for Children Dr. Melissa DelBello was the lead author of a ground-breaking 2002 study that found AstraZeneca’s atypical antipsychotic Seroquel (quetiapine) was safe for use in children. AstraZeneca financed the study which included 30 children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In the end, only eight children taking Seroquel completed the trial, and DelBello determined the study was inconclusive.

However, the study was published anyway and concluded Seroquel was more effective in children than a test group not receiving the drug. The publication led to a national recommendation that atypical antipsychotics be the leading choice for children with bipolar disorder.

Fact AstraZeneca covered up study results that revealed Seroquel was either inconclusive or harmful.Other studies involving Seroquel produced inconclusive or harmful results. Those were never published. It was later revealed that AstraZeneca systematically covered up the results. A company email used as evidence in a court case revealed: “Thus far, we have buried trials 15, 31, 56. The larger issue is how do we face the outside world when they begin to criticize us for suppressing data.”

In 2002, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley criticized DelBello for receiving at least $238,000 in consulting fees and travel costs from AstraZeneca.

After years of investigations, AstraZeneca paid a $520 million fine brought by the U.S. Department of Justice for promoting Seroquel for unapproved uses. The company also paid $647 million to settle global lawsuits for failing to warn the public of Seroquel’s side effects.

‘Sex-for-Studies’ Seroquel Scandal In 2009, a Florida lawsuit claimed then U.S. medical director for Seroquel Dr. Wayne MacFadden had sexual relationships with a clinical researcher who wrote journal articles favorable to Seroquel and a medical marketer who promoted Seroquel. The case was one of 9,000 claiming people developed diabetes and gained weight while on the drug.

Plaintiffs said these relationships were improper because research was supposed to be independent of AstraZeneca. MacFadden also had sexual relationships with employees of competitors and asked for trade secrets, CBS News and MedPage Today reported.

“The mere existence of these relationships calls into question the integrity of the scientific work product of those involved,” according to documents written by plaintiffs’ attorneys in 2009.

E-mails also surfaced showing AstraZeneca’s publications manager John Tumas buried three clinical trials with unfavorable Seroquel clinical data.

Poorly Organized Clinical Trial In 2014, a Seroquel XR trial for borderline personality disorder headed by Dr. S. Charles Schultz faced scrutiny because of poor oversight, the New York Times reported. AstraZeneca paid Schultz, the head of the department of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, to conduct the trial. In addition, he received more than $112,000 for “speaking and consulting fees and other payments” from 2002 to 2007.

Because of lack of supervision, two participants at a facility for sex offenders were able to fake their way into the trial. One of these men slipped Seroquel XR to unsuspecting staff and residents. The men were removed from the trial, but no one followed up with an investigation.

Following the Seroquel XR trial debacle, Schultz stepped down as head of psychiatry at the university.

Despite the sloppy trial and about one third of the participants dropping out because of side effects, results published in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed the drug as a promising treatment for borderline personality disorder. AstraZeneca didn’t pursue formal approval from the FDA, however.

Prior to this trial, the University of Minnesota ran a Seroquel trial in 2004, and one participant, Dan Markingson, committed suicide while on the drug.

AstraZeneca’s Drug Side Effect Litigation In addition to AstraZeneca’s antipsychotic controversy, it also faced growing legal problems from some of its blockbuster medications. People who took some of the company’s best-selling drugs say the drugmaker failed to warn of side effects.

Crestor Crestor 10mg pillThe (rosuvastatin) is used to prevent or treat heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

People harmed by Crestor took AstraZeneca to court, claiming in the drug contained dangerous defects. A consumer advocacy group also called for the recall of Crestor from the U.S. market but no recall was ordered.

Onglyza & Kombiglyze XR Onglyza 5mg pillThe FDA approved (saxagliptin) in 2009 to treat Type 2 diabetes. AstraZeneca and partner made hundreds of millions of dollars annually from Onglyza, but a study reported Onglyza increased the risk of hospitalizations due to heart failure. The FDA warned of the increased risk in April 2015.

A month later, a woman claimed her mother died from heart failure caused by Onglyza and filed a lawsuit against AstraZeneca. Now more lawsuits are mounting for Onglyza and heart failure.

Farxiga Farxiga 10mg pillThe FDA rejected Bristol-Myers and AstraZeneca’s once-daily before approving it in 2014. The FDA had originally denied it because data in studies showed a possible risk of bladder cancer.

After the FDA released several warnings linking the drug to serious side effects, numerous law firms are analyzing cases from people who suffered from ketoacidosis, kidney problems, UTIs or other conditions possibly caused by Farxiga.

AstraZeneca’s Drug Pipeline While AstraZeneca’s biggest sellers make billions for the company, it continues to look for ways to replace declining revenue from its core drugs losing patent. For instance, Crestor made $3.4 billion in 2016, but it was down from $8.5 billion in 2014. Nexium made $2 billion in 2016, but it was down from $7.7 million in 2014.

AstraZeneca’s purchase of Bristol-Myers’ diabetes division was one of many actions taken by pharmaceutical companies to consolidate their businesses into more specialized focus areas. In 2017, the company announced it had 133 projects in its development pipeline. The majority of these drugs are treatments for cancer. But it is also looking for additional FDA approvals for currently existing and its diabetes drugs (Farxiga, Kombiglyze and Xigduo).

For example, the company is investigating using Nexium in children and getting Farxiga approved for Type 1 diabetes in the U.S.

Please seek the advice of a medical professional before making health care decisions.

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