AstraZeneca plc (ADR) (AZN)

Among the other things I like about AZN, if it gains FDA approval to promote Seroquel for bipolar disorder, I think that will open up a huge market. There's a big educational project underway to raise awareness about bipolar-2 -- the likely culprit in many who are diagnosed with unipolar depression. Since SSRIs either fail or make bipolar-2's worse, the market for an effective treatment with a low side effect profile is huge. Could Seroquel fill the bill?

Stock is undervalued.

Solid pipeline and excellent leadership - attracting key talent from major pharma

Arimidex use will increase sales with favorable ATAC trial released.

Growth is the new name of the game. Drugs are the old name of the game. AZN is both

MedImmume won the bid to manufacture Swine Flu vaccines. With Obama's recent announcement on government funded program for the same, this could improve AstraZeneca's position.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca is all set to acquire MedImmune for all-cash transaction with a total enterprise value of $15.2 billion. AstraZeneca will acquire all shares of MedImmune at a price of $58 per share, aggregating to a total consideration of $15.6 billion. This expensive transaction represents a premium of approximately 53% to Med Immune’s share price on April 11. The deal will significantly expands AstraZeneca’s product pipeline by adding 45 projects including 2 late-stage products and a blockbuster marketed monoclonal antibody, Synagis. The deal, which is expected to close in June comes at a time when AstraZeneca has already faced a series of research setbacks.

Although this acquisition may take a while to boost AstraZeneca’s earnings, but it brings a array of great new and growing products which would strengthen the company’s product portfolio. The acquisition will be fully funded in cash, bringing improved financial efficiency through balance sheet leverage. Moreover, the company hasn’t changed its previously announced $4 billion share buyback programme for 2007. AstraZeneca has ended collaboration with AtheroGenics on a heart-disease drug after a clinical trial failed to meet its goal.

AstraZeneca forecasts the transaction will boost earnings in 2009 and achieve $500 million in synergies by that year. The company in a move to provide a boost to its R&D activity has began construction of R&D plant near Boston. AstraZeneca has reaffirmed its EPS guidance for fiscal 2007 to be in the range of $3.80-$4.05. The strength of synergy between AstraZeneca and MedImmune should outwit the market in the coming fiscal.

cheap earnings compared to industry sector. Low debt to equity ratio

2009 World's Most Ethical Companies:
http://ethisphere.com/wme2009/

Re-load. Div yield 5.1% P/E 16

gtrinvestor pick , probably a little late entry on my part since drug test result news and 6% gain today.

H1N1 vaccine demand, low forward P/E, consistent earnings and generous dividend. Next earnings report is 7/30/09

I like the MedImmune acquisition but their balance sheet looks like crap- 5billion in cash vs 15billion in debt, plus negative earnings and revenue. Think it will take some time before the MedImmune acquisition starts to pay off

They may need some Levitra as some of their drugs go off patent.

Looking to acquire biotechs to enhance pipeline. Solid company - great management.

While AZN has made a smart deal with Palatin (PTN), I'm generally bearish on big pharma. Lots of legislation is going to come about that will cost them a lot of money.

AZN has a solid pipeline. Big pharma has had a tough few years in general and will outperform the market over the next 5 years with excellent long-term prospects as world population ages and new drugs are discovered.

A Value play that pays as you wait . Low p/e compared to its peers.

AZN paid too a high price for MedImmune in 2007 (15.2 billion USD for 1.2 billion USD of revenue in 2006 of which more than 1 billion was due to Synagis), but their debt levels are not worrying. AZN has an interesting pipeline and current sales are also very strong. Below is a list of some of the blockbuster drugs of AZN:

Gastrointestinal:
1989 Losec/Prilosec (Omeprazole) - proton pump inhibitor
2000 Nexium (Esomeprazole) - proton pump inhibitor (Omeprazole is just the racemic mixture of esomeprazole and romeprazole, which makes me wonder, how they got this patent and how they manage to charge so much for it)

Neural (schizophrenia, depression):
1997 Seroquel (Quetiapine) - patent expiration in 2011 - dopamine and serotonin receptor antagonist

Cardiovascular:
1992 Seloken/Toprol (Metoprolol) - beta blocker
2000 (2003 in the US) Crestor (Rosuvastatin) - cholesterol drug - competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase

Respiratory (asthma):
1997 Pulmicort/Rhinocort/Entocort (Budesonide) - patent expiration in 2011/2015 - glucocorticoid steroid
1998 Synagis (Palivizumab) - antibody against Respiratory Syncytial Virus - developed by MedImmune