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Monday, March 26, 2012
AstraZeneca Delivers Glum News to Investors.
By Sten Stovall AstraZeneca has given investors more depressing news, we explain on WSJ.com Europe's blog, The Source The British drug company told them on Monday that a U.S. judge has refused to grant it a preliminary injunction it requested to delay the launch of generic versions of its top-selling antidepressant Seroquel. As a result, generic copies of the original instant-release form of Seroquel can hit the U.S. market from today — when AstraZeneca's patent expires. This will have a significant impact on both sales and profits. And it's just the first of three major drugs facing cheap generic competition over the next five years. The company, which is a pure drug play, has outlined a five-year plan while focusing on maximizing shareholder returns with high dividends and share buybacks. But shareholders remain worried by the group's lack of promising new drugs, which are increasingly needed to replace revenues lost due as drug patents expire. Still, analysts say the company's problems largely are already reflected in its share price.
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