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 October 2016
Commission
File Number: 001-11960
AstraZeneca PLC
1
Francis Crick Avenue
Cambridge
Biomedical Campus
Cambridge
CB2 0AA
United
Kingdom
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AstraZeneca PLC
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
1. AZ
agreement with Aralez for Toprol-XL in US dated 04th October
2016
This announcement contains inside
information
4 October 2016 07:05
ASTRAZENECA ENTERS AGREEMENT WITH ARALEZ
FOR BETA-BLOCKER MEDICINE TOPROL-XL IN THE US
AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered into an agreement
with Aralez Pharmaceuticals Trading DAC, a subsidiary of Aralez
Pharmaceuticals Inc., for the rights to branded and
authorised generic Toprol-XL (metoprolol succinate) in the
US. Toprol-XL
is a beta-blocker medicine
for the control of hypertension (high blood pressure), angina
(chest pain) and heart failure. It was first approved in the US in
1992.
Under the terms of the agreement, Aralez will pay AstraZeneca $175
million to acquire the rights to Toprol-XL tablets in the US, and the authorised generic
medicine marketed by Par Pharmaceuticals. Aralez will also pay
AstraZeneca up to $48 million in milestone and sales-related
payments, as well as mid-teen percentage royalties on sales.
AstraZeneca will continue to manufacture and supply
Toprol-XL
and the authorised generic medicine to
Aralez.
Mark
Mallon, Executive Vice President, Global Product & Portfolio
Strategy at AstraZeneca said: "This
agreement allows us to focus our resources on our new launches and
pipeline of innovative medicines, while working with Aralez, a
partner with expertise in cardiovascular disease, to ensure
continued patient access to Toprol-XL."
Adrian Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Aralez Pharmaceuticals
Inc. said: "We are pleased to be entering into this
agreement with AstraZeneca. Toprol-XL represents a strong addition
to our growing anchor position in cardiovascular disease. We look
forward to helping patients continue to benefit from this important
medicine."
Financial considerations
In 2015, US Product Sales for Toprol-XL and the AstraZeneca share from the sale of the
authorised generic medicine totalled $89 million. The transaction
is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2016, subject to
customary closing conditions. As AstraZeneca will retain an ongoing
interest in Toprol-XL in the US through the ongoing milestones,
royalties and product supply, the upfront payment of $175 million,
milestones and sales-related payments of up to $48 million and
mid-teen percentage royalties will be reported as Externalisation
Revenue in the Company's financial statements. The agreement does
not include the transfer of any AstraZeneca employees or facilities
and does not impact AstraZeneca's financial guidance for
2016.
About Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARLZ) (TSX: ARZ) is a
global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on delivering
meaningful products to improve patients' lives while creating
shareholder value by acquiring, developing and commercialising
products primarily in cardiovascular, pain and other specialty
areas. Aralez's Global Headquarters is in Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada, the U.S. Headquarters is planned to be
in Princeton, NJ and the Irish Headquarters is
in Dublin, Ireland. More information about Aralez can be found
at www.aralez.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 - Respiratory, Cardiovascular &
Metabolic Diseases, and
Oncology. The Company is also selectively active in Neuroscience
and Autoimmunity. 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
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Adrian
Kemp
Company
Secretary
AstraZeneca
PLC
-ENDS-
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.
AstraZeneca
PLC
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Date:
04 October 2016
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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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