(Reuters) – AstraZeneca on Friday beat expectations for its second-quarter profit, helped by better-than-expected sales of its oncology drugs.
“Each of our non-COVID-19 therapy areas saw double-digit revenue growth, with eight medicines delivering more than $1bn of revenue in the first half, demonstrating the strength of our business,” Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said.
The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker – one of the strongest performers among listed European pharma companies – said the total revenue from oncology medicines increased 22% in the first half of the year.
The London-listed company, which reports its results in U.S. dollars, posted an adjusted profit of $2.15 per share on sales of about $11.42 billion.
Analysts were expecting $1.98 per share on sales of about $10.97 billion, according to company-compiled consensus estimates.
AstraZeneca stood by its 2023 forecast.
(Reporting by Maggie Fick in London and Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
