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 December
2019
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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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.
AstraZeneca divests
rights to Arimidex and Casodex in Europe and certain additional
countries
20 December 2019 07:00 GMT
AstraZeneca divests rights
to Arimidex and Casodex
in Europe and certain additional countries
Sale to Juvisé Pharmaceuticals
supports AstraZeneca's strategy
of
focusing on pipeline of new medicines
AstraZeneca today announced that it has agreed to sell the
commercial rights to Arimidex (anastrozole) and Casodex (bicalutamide) in a number of European,
African and other countries1 to
Juvisé Pharmaceuticals.
The medicines, used primarily to treat breast and
prostate cancers, have lost their compound patent protection in
these countries. AstraZeneca already divested the rights to
both Arimidex and Casodex in the US in 2017.
Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President,
Oncology Business Unit, said: "Arimidex and Casodex are important established medicines and we
are pleased that Juvisé Pharmaceuticals will now take on the
work of making sure patients continue to have access to them.
Today's agreement is part of a broader strategy of reducing our
portfolio of mature medicines to reallocate resources towards
developing our pipeline of new medicines."
Financial considerations
As
there were no closing conditions to the divestment, the agreement
became effective upon signing. Juvisé Pharmaceuticals has made
an upfront payment of $181m to AstraZeneca and may also make future
sales-contingent payments of up to $17m. Income arising from the
upfront payment will be reported in AstraZeneca's financial
statements in the fourth quarter of 2019. Income from the upfront
and any future payments will be reported within Other Operating
Income & Expense. In 2018, Arimidex had sales of $37m in the countries
covered by this agreement, while Casodex had sales of $24m. The divestment does
not change the Company's financial guidance for
2019.
About Arimidex
Arimidex (anastrozole) is
an aromatase inhibitor, indicated primarily for the adjuvant
treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive
early breast cancer, the first-line treatment of postmenopausal
women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown
locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and the treatment of
advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease
progression, following tamoxifen therapy.
About Casodex
Casodex (bicalutamide) is an androgen-receptor
inhibitor, indicated for use in combination therapy with a
luteinising hormone-releasing hormone analogue for the treatment of
Stage D2 metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.
About
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN) 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 and Metabolism, and Respiratory.
AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative
medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please
visit astrazeneca.com and
follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.
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Relations
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References
1. For Arimidex and Casodex: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, France
exports2,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Algeria, Morocco,
Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkey, and French-speaking Africa
(Ivory Coast, Benin, Gabon, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso,
Mali, Chad, Burundi, Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal, Central
African Republic, Togo, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Republic of the Congo and Madagascar). Additionally,
for Arimidex: Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland and Portugal.
2. France exports are sales made
in France, under the French entity of AstraZeneca, for export to
French DOM-TOMs (Départements d'outre-mer,
Territoires d'outre-mer):
DOM-TOMs are either 'overseas collectives' (administrative
divisions of France) or 'overseas departments' (officially part of
France), and include: French Guyana, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe,
Mayotte, Martinique, New Caledonia, La Reunion, Saint-Barthelemy,
Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and
Wallis-et-Futuna.
Adrian Kemp
Company
Secretary
AstraZeneca PLC
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:
20 December
2019
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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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