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 2020
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.
Atacand to be divested to Cheplapharm in more than 70
countries
30 October 2020 07:00 GMT
Atacand to be divested to Cheplapharm in more than
70 countries
Agreement supports strategy of focusing on newer medicines in main
therapy areas
AstraZeneca has agreed to sell the commercial rights
to Atacand (candesartan
cilexetil) and Atacand Plus (a fixed-dose
combination of candesartan cilexetil and
hydrochlorothiazide) in
around 70 countries globally to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel
GmbH (Cheplapharm).
Atacand is a prescription
medicine approved for the treatment of heart failure (HF) and
hypertension. Atacand
Plus is approved for the
treatment of hypertension.
Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals Business
Unit, said: "This agreement forms part of our strategy to carefully
manage the mature medicines, enabling reinvestment in our main
therapy areas to bring innovative new medicines to patients.
Cheplapharm previously acquired the rights
to Atacand in
Europe and will
now ensure continued
patient access to this important
established medicine in additional countries across the
globe."
AstraZeneca will continue to manufacture and
supply Atacand and Atacand Plus and will continue to commercialise the
medicine during a three-year transition period. The agreement covers a total of more than 70
countries.1
Financial considerations
Cheplapharm will pay AstraZeneca a total of $400m in non-contingent
consideration, of which the present value will be recognised as
Other Operating Income upon completion of the transaction,
anticipated during the fourth quarter of 2020. The divestment will
not impact the Company's financial guidance for 2020.
Of the $400m consideration, $250m will be payable on completion and
the remainder in the first half of 2021.
Pursuant to London Stock Exchange listing rule 10.4.1R
(notification of class 2 transactions), in 2019, Atacand and Atacand Plus generated sales of $148m and profit before
tax of $89m in the countries covered by the
agreement. The gross book value of
assets subject to the divestment as at 31 December 2019
was nil. The
consideration will be paid in cash and the proceeds used for
general corporate purposes.
Atacand
Atacand (candesartan
cilexetil) is a selective, AT1 subtype angiotensin II receptor
antagonist that is indicated for the management of hypertension in
adults and children/adolescents, as well as HF in
adults. Atacand
Plus is indicated for the
management of hypertension when candesartan or hydrochlorothiazide
monotherapy is not sufficiently effective. Atacand was developed in collaboration with Takeda
Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Each company held the exclusive
rights to the medicine in certain countries; in other
countries, Atacand was co-marketed.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: 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 & Metabolism, and
Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, 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.
Contacts
For details on how to contact the Investor Relations Team, please
click here.
For Media contacts, click here.
References
1. Countries include: Angola, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas,
Bahrain, Bermuda, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei
Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile,
Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Côte D'Ivoire,
Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, El Salvador, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea,
Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Republic of Korea,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
Oman, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi
Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab
Emirates, Uruguay, Yemen.
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:
30 October
2020
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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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