FORM 6-K
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Report
of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the
month of November
2018
Commission
File Number: 001-11960
AstraZeneca PLC
1
Francis Crick Avenue
Cambridge
Biomedical Campus
Cambridge
CB2 0AA
United
Kingdom
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by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
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as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ______
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by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information
to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.
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assigned to the Registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):
82-_____________
AstraZeneca PLC
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
1.
Divestment
of rights to Covis Pharma
6 November 2018 07:00 GMT
Divestment of rights
to Alvesco,
Omnaris and Zetonna to Covis Pharma
AstraZeneca has entered into an agreement with Covis Pharma B.V.
(Covis Pharma) to sell its rights to the
medicines Alvesco (ciclesonide), used for the treatment of
persistent asthma, and Omnaris and Zetonna (ciclesonide), used for the treatment
of nasal symptoms associated with rhinitis. The rights cover
markets outside the US and the US royalties for the medicines.
Covis Pharma currently commercialises Alvesco,Omnaris and Zetonna in the US and will become the owner of the
medicines upon closing. The transaction does not include the
transfer of any AstraZeneca employees or
facilities.
Mark Mallon, Executive Vice President, Global Product and Portfolio
Strategy, said: "One of our strategic objectives is to divest parts
of our portfolio, allowing us to allocate resources to develop
innovative new medicines to address unmet patient needs. Covis
Pharma has strong capabilities in marketing medicines around the
world, and our agreement with them means patients will continue to
benefit from Alvesco,Omnaris and Zetonna."
Michael Porter, Chief Executive Officer, Covis Pharma, said: "This
is an exciting milestone for Covis Pharma and aligned with our
strategy to build a global respiratory/allergy franchise. When we
acquired the US rights for Alvesco, Omnaris and Zetonna in 2017, we recognised the importance of
these medicines in the respiratory and allergy therapeutic area and
we look forward to extending our reach to meet the needs of
patients and physicians around the world."
Alvesco is an inhaled
anti-inflammatory maintenance therapy delivered by
a metered-dose inhaler to help control persistent
asthma. Omnarisand Zetonna are nasal sprays for the treatment of nasal
symptoms associated with seasonal allergic and
allergic/non-allergic perennial rhinitis.The active ingredient in
all three medicines is ciclesonide, a synthetic corticosteroid that
helps relieve inflammation.
Financial Considerations
Covis Pharma will pay AstraZeneca $350 million upon closing, in
addition to conditional sales-related payments of up to $21 million
over four years from 2019. The agreement is subject to
customary closing conditions and is expected to complete by the end
of 2018. As AstraZeneca will not maintain a significant ongoing
interest in the medicines following completion, the payments will
be recognised as Other Operating Income in the Company's financial
statements. Combined 2017 Product Sales of Alvesco, Omnaris and Zetonna, recorded by AstraZeneca, were $106
million. The agreement does not affect the Company's
financial guidance for 2018.
About Covis Pharma
Covis Pharma is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and is a
global speciality pharmaceutical company that markets therapeutic
solutions for patients with life-threatening conditions and chronic
illnesses. Additional information is available at
www.covispharma.com.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that
focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of
prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in
three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal &
Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100
countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of
patients worldwide. For more information, please
visit www.astrazeneca.com and
follow us on Twitter @AstraZeneca.
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Adrian Kemp
Company Secretary
AstraZeneca PLC
Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser, to
view the associated PDF document.
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4531G_1-2018-11-6.pdf
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date:
06 November
2018
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By: /s/
Adrian Kemp
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Name:
Adrian Kemp
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Title:
Company Secretary
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