AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) has secured US approval for Baxfendy, the first in a new class of blood pressure medication to reach the market in more than two decades. The drug works by blocking production of aldosterone, a hormone that can raise blood pressure to dangerous levels and increase the risk of heart and kidney damage.
The pharmaceutical company expects the drug Baxfendy to generate multibillion-dollar annual sales at its peak.
AZN and ABBV both boast strong drug pipelines and growth outlooks, but differences in valuation, dividends and LOE risks set them apart.
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) shares fell 1.9% to 13,688p after the US regulator's advisory panel declined to back its camizestrant treatment in a key breast cancer setting. The FTSE 100 drugmaker said the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted three to six against the benefit-risk profile of camizestrant in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor for first-line treatment of advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
The British pharmaceutical group said it would continue to work with U.S. regulators on a review of its breast-cancer candidate after the drug failed to get backing at a key advisory committee vote.
Our AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN | AZN Price Prediction) call comes one day after the British drugmaker reported Q1 2026 revenue of $15.29 billion, up 13% year over year, and reaffirmed full-year guidance.
A panel of outside experts to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted against backing the risk-benefit profile of AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug, the company said on Thursday.
Bank lifts 2026 core earnings per share estimate 2% to $10.30 after first-quarter beat, sees positive risk-reward into late-year readouts Citi has raised its 2026 core earnings per share forecast for AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) by 2% to $10.30 following a first-quarter beat and maintained its buy rating, arguing that risk-reward is positive heading into a series of second-half pipeline catalysts that the market has yet to fully price in. The bank said first-quarter results demonstrated the breadth of AstraZeneca's growth and pipeline, with the pharmaceuticals group delivering approximately 2% ahead of consensus before leaving full-year guidance unchanged.
AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
AstraZeneca delivered robust Q1 2026 results, with revenues up 8% year-on-year and operating profit rising 17%. AZN's oncology division remains a powerhouse, driving ~45% of revenues, with six blockbuster drugs and a deep pipeline supporting long-term growth. Despite Farxiga's looming US patent expiry, rare disease and oncology divisions are expected to offset declines, targeting overall $80bn annual revenues by 2030.
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN), the FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals giant, has reconfirmed its full-year 2026 guidance after reporting first-quarter total revenue of $15.3 billion, up 8% at constant exchange rates, driven by double-digit growth in Oncology and Rare Disease. The company expects full-year total revenue to increase by a mid-to-high single-digit percentage at constant exchange rates, with core earnings per share forecast to grow by a low double-digit percentage.
AstraZeneca reported rises in revenue and core earnings for the first quarter, saying growing sales of its cancer and rare-disease drugs lifted results.