Company Analysis - AstraZeneca
The battle for late-stage stability
AstraZeneca is one the most recognized brands in global healthcare today. With over 66,000 employees worldwide and with sales in 2006 of US$26.5 billion, it represents a major force in the pharmaceutical industry.
AstraZeneca was created only 8 years ago in 1999, although its roots can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. It came to be following the merger of Astra, a Swedish-based pharmaceutical group founded in 1913 that focused mainly on the therapeutic areas of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory and analgesic drugs, with Zeneca – itself a demerger of the pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and specialties businesses of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Zeneca was developing drugs in the same disease areas as Astra, with the addition of oncology, giving the two companies a significant overlap in products and expertise. When they came together in a US$67 billion ‘merger of equals’, the 4th largest pharmaceutical company in the world was born.
AstraZeneca still focuses on developing drugs in the same therapeutic areas as at its inception, although now infectious disease has also been added to this list. In addition to its pharmaceutical business, AstraZeneca also comprises AstraTech, a medical device company, and Aptium Oncology, a leading provider of outpatient oncology management and consulting services in the US.
