The Astrazeneca laboratory, notably at the origin of one of the vaccines against Covid-19, has great ambitions by 2030. The British group wants to reach 80 billion dollars in turnover, after 45.8 billion in 2023, as announced in a press release this Tuesday, May 21.
To achieve this, he relies on “significant growth” of its oncology (cancer treatment), biopharmaceuticals and drugs against rare diseases divisions and on the launch of 20 new drugs before the end of the decade. It also plans to “continue to invest in transformative technologies” which will “shape the future of medicine”, which has already made a series of acquisitions in recent years. In particular that of Alexion, its subsidiary of drugs for rare diseases, for 39 billion dollars, finalized in 2021 and, last March, that of the French biotechnology company Amolyt Pharma, specializing in treatments against rare diseases also, for an amount of up to a billion dollars.
Its general director, Pascal Soriot, speaks of a “era of growth” which opens. These new expected drugs will, according to him, have the potential to “generate more than $5 billion per year in revenue at their peak”, he declared during an investor day.
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Spotlight on oncology
It is no coincidence that Astrazeneca focuses on oncology. The group recorded a profit of +21% in the first quarter, driven largely by sales in this division. This, which accounts for more than a third of its product sales, saw its turnover increase by +23% last year, in particular thanks to Imfinzi, a drug used in particular against cancer of the lung, bladder or bile ducts.
Continuing to expand in this sector, AstraZeneca announced last month the acquisition of the Canadian laboratory Fusion, specializing in radiopharmaceutical products against cancer, for an amount of up to $2.4 billion. And, this Monday, the group announced the construction in Singapore of a factory to manufacture “antibody-drug conjugates” (ADC), a type of new generation treatment against cancer. It will be his “first end-to-end ADC production site, integrating all stages of the manufacturing process on a commercial scale”, the laboratory argued in a statement, adding that the project is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The laboratory plans to begin design and construction by the end of the year of this facility, which should be operational from 2029.
As a reminder, antibody-drug conjugates are new generation treatments “which deliver very potent anti-cancer agents directly to cancer cells via a targeted antibody”, Astrazeneca said. The laboratory “has built a portfolio of cutting-edge cancer drugs, including antibody-drug conjugates that have shown enormous potential to replace traditional chemotherapy for patients in many settings,” assured its general director Pascal Soriot.
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More than 360 million euros of investments in France
On the occasion of the 7th Choose France summit, which was held last week with the aim of promoting foreign investment in the country, Astrazeneca announced a new investment of 388 million dollars (more than 360 million euros) in France.
The British group is counting on this sum to develop and make more ” Green “ all production on its Dunkirk (North) site dedicated to respiratory diseases. “This new investment will be dedicated in particular to the creation of two new assembly and packaging lines” as well as “new buildings”with the key “around a hundred jobs”, he detailed. It thus brings to “more than 2.2 billion dollars” (more than 2 billion euros) investments made in France since 2020, according to the laboratory which has more than 2,000 employees in the territory.
(With AFP)
