Can AstraZeneca Navigate Its Pipeline Waters?

Cost-cutting should help AstraZeneca navigate through its major patent cliff and thin pipeline

Damien Conover, CFA 6 January, 2012 | 4:17PM
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AstraZeneca's (AZN) leading presence in the pharma and biotech industry is built on patent-protected drugs and a developing pipeline that all add up to a wide moat. The firm's dynamic operations and an aggressive acquisition strategy create growth opportunities to offset patent losses, including the near-term expirations of neurology drug Seroquel and oncology drug Arimidex.

Although AstraZeneca's pipeline ranks toward the bottom of its peer group, we think the company is developing several key products that hold blockbuster potential. In particular, dapagliflozin could enjoy a first-mover advantage as a new type of diabetes therapy.

Although the company creates growth opportunities through acquisitions, its checkered track record leaves us less confident of management's adherence to price discipline.

Additionally, besides both internal and external product development, Astra is significantly cutting costs to mitigate lost profits from products losing patent protection. The cost savings should help the company navigate the patent losses on several high-margin drugs.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
AstraZeneca PLC10,022.00 GBX0.53Rating

About Author

Damien Conover, CFA  is an equity analyst and associate director at Morningstar.

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