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AZN Shows Strong H1 Performance as AstraZeneca Advances COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials

Foremost leader in the search for COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE: AZN) has posted its H1 performance report. The company’s released result shows an impressive earning spiked by increasing demand for coronavirus vaccine. Despite the negative impact of the pandemic particularly through the first and second quarters, AZN has shown great tenacity posting a net profit of $756 million for the quarter as compared with $130 million for the year-earlier period.

AstraZeneca (AZN) CEO, Pascal Soriot commented on company’s performance:

“I was particularly pleased with the robust growth in Emerging Markets and the success of our new medicines.. our company has mounted a significant response to COVID-19, with capacity to deliver over two billion doses of AZD1222, the accelerated development of our monoclonal antibodies and new trials for the use of Calquence and Farxiga to treat patients affected by the virus”.

The role the company is playing in conjunction with researchers at Oxford University to develop AZD1222 has earned it global goodwill and support from world governments. With high optimism, the biopharmaceutical company’s stock has shown a great start with its pre-market trading position rising by 2.33% corresponding to an additional $1.32 to cap at $57.96. Following the company’s released earnings and advancing clinical research of its vaccine, the stock may have yet more bullish days ahead.

Total Revenue increased by 12% (14% at CER) to $12,629 million in H1 2020, with growth across all three therapy areas and spread across every region. The company’s new medicines from emerging markets grew by 42% and represented a total of 50% of the global Total Revenue as compared with 40% as of the first quarter of 2019. AZN therapy market in Asia saw a little declined by 11% reflecting the adverse impact of COVID-19 on sales of Pulmicort in China. Regional revenue assessment showed that the company’s revenue from Europe grew by 17%, the United States by 13%, and China by 7%.

From the foregoing, AstraZeneca has made some projections from the remainder of the 2020 FY. While the capital expenditure is expected to be stable for the rest of the year, the firm will work on improving its operating leverage and due to fluctuating rates, it will work with an 18 to 20% Core Tax Rate.

In a separate interview with CNBC, Pascal Soriot has hinted that the novel coronavirus may require more than one shot or better put, an annual vaccination due to its unstable nature. He told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe:

“What we know is that most companies are targeting two injections for the initial vaccination and then our own assumption based on what we know from the technology we use with SARS 1 is that the immunity could last 12 months maybe 18 months”.

The vaccine is currently undergoing a late-stage clinical trial involving about 10,000 people in the UK, 5,000 people in Brazil while subjects are being enrolled in South Africa and the United States. The success of the ongoing trials will go a long way towards determining the possibility of making the vaccine available by October or November as Pascal Soriot anticipates.

AZN Shows Strong H1 Performance as AstraZeneca Advances COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials

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