25 July 2019 07:00 BST
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, commenting on the results said:
“The momentum generated last year continued into the first half, consolidating AstraZeneca’s return to growth based on the strength of our new medicines. Five of these new medicines are anticipated to be blockbusters this year, supporting sales across both Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals. Emerging Markets, the US and Japan all grew strongly, and we delivered an encouraging turnaround in Europe in the second quarter. Selective investment in sustainable growth also continued, particularly in Emerging Markets and in our launch programmes. Additional regulatory approvals for Lynparza in ovarian cancer in the EU and Japan, together with approvals for Breztri and Bevespi in COPD in Japan, illustrated further progress from our pipeline.
Accompanying earnings growth this year, we are pleased to upgrade our Product Sales guidance and we are committed to working on our operating leverage and driving cash generation over the long term.”
Adrian Kemp
Company Secretary
AstraZeneca PLC