Pharma giant must fill the gap for new drugs

Investors pile the pressure on AstraZeneca

Drugs giant AstraZeneca will face fresh questions about its future this week when it unveils full-year results.

Although the numbers are expected to be up on the previous year, investors are concerned at the acute shortage of new drugs after a series of treatments failed clinical trials.

The FTSE 100 company is also threatened with lawsuits from generic manufacturers challenging the patents of its two biggest sellers in the US, Nexium for acid reflux, and Seroquel for schizophrenia.

"Its future lies in the hands of the US drugs regulator and the courts," said one analyst.

Investors are agitating for the company to be more aggressive with its £2bn cash pile to address its shortage of new drugs. Forecasts for pre-tax profits are $8.2bn (£4.3bn) on a turnover of $26.2bn. AstraZeneca, which reports on Thursday, posted profits of $6bn in the previous year on a turnover of $24bn.

Investors are hoping for positive news on AGI-1067, a potential blockbuster treatment for atherosclerosis and the single best hope to replace revenue dented by generic copies.