Business & Markets
AstraZeneca profit rises to $2.5bn as cancer drug sales drive growth
AstraZeneca maintained its full-year outlook after second-quarter profit after tax rose by more than 2 percent to $2.5 billion, supported by strong sales of cancer and rare-disease medicines.
The British pharmaceutical company said revenue increased 6 percent to $15.4 billion during the three months to the end of June. The profit result exceeded analysts’ expectations, AFP reported.
Chief executive Pascal Soriot said AstraZeneca remained on track to reach its target of $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, despite an unexpected late-stage clinical trial failure earlier in July.
The company’s shares had fallen after its heart-disease drug Wainua failed to meet trial targets.
Soriot said AstraZeneca had to accept that some treatments would fail during development, but the company continued to make progress across its wider drug portfolio.
AstraZeneca shares rose almost 2 percent in midday trading on London’s FTSE 100 index.
The company is also developing a weight-loss pill. Trial results released last month indicated that the treatment may produce weight loss similar to other oral GLP-1 drugs, although further research is needed to confirm the findings.
Update
Chief executive Pascal Soriot said AstraZeneca remained on track for its $80 billion revenue ambition by 2030.
Soriot discussed the late-stage trial failure of heart disease drug Wainua and said failures can happen despite a high success rate across the portfolio.
AstraZeneca shares rose almost 2 percent in midday London trading.
AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said maintained guidance and pipeline updates helped lift the shares.
The source adds context on AstraZeneca's weight-loss pill development and recent trial results.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 11:29:25 UTC.
Update
AstraZeneca said second-quarter revenue rose 6% to $15.4 billion.
AstraZeneca reconfirmed its full-year outlook after profit beat analyst expectations.
Chief executive Pascal Soriot said the company remained on track for its $80 billion revenue ambition by 2030.
The report notes an unexpected late-stage trial failure for heart disease drug Wainua earlier in July.
Soriot said AstraZeneca has more than 20 high-value readouts due over the next 18 months.
The source adds context on AstraZeneca's work on a weight-loss pill and recent trial results.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 07:16:40 UTC.
Update
AstraZeneca reported profit after tax of $2.5 billion for the three months to the end of June.
The company said the profit figure was more than 2 percent higher than in the same period last year.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 06:34:55 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source does not provide the analyst forecast figure used for the profit comparison.
Further research is needed to confirm the reported trial results for AstraZeneca’s weight-loss pill.
Source
AFP news report published on .