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5 stories mentioning AZN.L

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UK Shares End Lower as Investors Assess US-Iran Peace Framework

London's FTSE 100 closed 0.39% down on Monday as markets weighed a US-Iran agreement on a 60-day peace framework, with a formal signing scheduled in Switzerland for Friday.While full details are still uncertain, US President Donald Trump said the agreement would pave the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade following a formal signing in Switzerland on Friday. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program are set to continue."What can be said with some confidence is that a credible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would be one of the most important developments for the global economy at this juncture, particularly given that US headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) is above 4% for the first time since 2023, real wages are declining for a second consecutive month, and the [European Central Bank] is still tightening policy into an energy shock, leaving the system with limited capacity to absorb further supply disruption," Rystad Energy said. "In that context, every barrel previously constrained through the Strait represents inflationary pressure that would begin to unwind, at least at the margin."At home, the UK government proposed banning social media use for children under 16, with the restrictions expected to take effect in spring 2027 if approved by parliament. The ban will include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, but exclude messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.In corporate news, telecommunications company Vodafone (VOD.L) dropped 2.81% on the blue-chip index after Deutsche Bank Research reduced its price target to 1.5 pounds sterling from 1.55 pounds, with a buy rating."Whilst telco markets remain periodically combative (it was ever thus), VOD is facing fewer major conflicts across its now more focused footprint and we see material reparation from the UK (synergies), EM (strong EUR growth) and balance sheet simplification (associate buy-ins and disposals) which more than mitigate a Germany drag (ahead of an eventual recovery). We reflect new guidance, a delay to the Kenya deal and the purchase of UK minorities (a postponement rather than curtailment of improved returns) and envisage multiple levers for equity appreciation," analysts said.AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) Alexion unit said the US Food and Drug Administration granted Priority Review to its supplemental biologics license application for Ultomiris, or ravulizumab, for the treatment of adults with immunoglobulin A nephropathy. The drugmaker was down 1.95% at the end of the session.Looking ahead, investors will focus on the Bank of England's interest rate decision and labor market data on Thursday, following the release of UK inflation figures on Wednesday. Consumer confidence and retail sales data are due on Friday.

FTSE 100$AZN.L$VOD.L

Asia Markets17d ago

British Equities Close Little Changed; US-Iran Negotiations Progress

Britain's FTSE 100 ended the week 0.09% in the red as the US and Iran reportedly reached a preliminary deal to extend the ceasefire for 60 days, which remains subject to US President Donald Trump's final approval.However, Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency cited a source as saying the proposed memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington remained unfinished after changes to the text in recent days, while also pushing back on some media reports on the potential deal, Al Jazeera reported.Back home and in corporate news, Ocado Group (OCDO.L) agreed to develop supermarket and petrol station chain Asda's online business across the UK with the Ocado Smart Platform, sending the London-listed grocery technology group's shares up 7.11% on Friday's close. The partnership is set to go live in early 2027, allowing Asda to offer online services such as scheduled and short lead-time orders, as well as click and collect."The deal broadens Ocado's UK exposure beyond existing partnerships and further positions the company as a technology and fulfilment enabler across multiple operating models, including store-based ecommerce fulfilment," AlphaValue/Baader Europe said. "While management does not expect a material FY26 financial contribution, the partnership improves medium-term revenue visibility and supports Ocado's pathway toward positive free cash flow generation in H2 FY26 and FY27."Meanwhile, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for Imfinzi, or durvalumab, plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin induction and maintenance therapy for adults with BCG-naïve, high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The drugmaker was up 0.48%.It was a quiet day for local economic news, with investors anticipating the final S&P Global PMI figures, Bank of England mortgage and consumer credit reports, and Nationwide and Halifax house price data next week.

FTSE 100$AZN.L$OCDO.L

US Markets17d ago

AstraZeneca's Imfinzi Gets US FDA Nod for Bladder Cancer Combo Therapy

The US Food and Drug Administration approved AstraZeneca's (AZN.L, AZN,ST) Imfinzi, or durvalumab, in combination with another drug for the treatment of non-muscle-invasive blood cancer, or NMIBC, the British drugmaker said Thursday.The approval is based on positive results from the Potomac phase 3 trial, which showed a 32% reduction in the risk of high-risk recurrence, progression, or death after one year of Imfinzi in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, induction and maintenance therapy, compared with BCG alone.The durvalumab-BCG combo is the first therapy to be approved in the US in over 30 years for BCG-naive, high-risk NMIBC. Authorities in the European Union, Japan and other countries are also reviewing regulatory submissions based on the phase 3 trial results, AstraZeneca said.Over 31,000 people were treated for high-risk NMIBC in the US in 2024, according to the drugmaker. Half of patients with the condition are at high risk of experiencing disease recurrence or progression, with up to 80% of high-risk patients seeing recurrence within five years of treatment."Unfortunately, many of these patients experience disease recurrence requiring repeated surgical procedures, as well as disease progression resulting in surgical removal of their bladder," said Neal Shore, director of START Carolinas and a co-principal investigator in the phase 3 trial. "The POTOMAC trial demonstrates that the durvalumab with BCG induction and maintenance regimen reduces the risk of disease recurrence, progression or death for patients by almost a third compared to BCG alone, heralding a marked advancement for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer."Imfinzi is also approved in several countries for patients with cisplatin-eligible muscle-invasive bladder cancer.The drug generated $1.69 billion in revenue for AstraZeneca in the first quarter, up 30% year over year at constant exchange rates, making it the second-highest earning product in the company's oncology portfolio, behind Tagrisso.Shares of the drugmaker rose 1% in early trading in London on Friday.

$AZN.L$AZN.ST

Asia Markets24d ago

FTSE 100 Closes Week Upbeat; AstraZeneca Sees Oncology Approval Progress

London's FTSE 100 ended the trading week 0.22% in the green as investors assessed the latest retail sales and borrowing data.UK retail sales fell 1.3% month over month in April, following a revised 0.6% rise in March, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. The decline was larger than the 0.6% fall expected by analysts."April 2026 will be remembered as the first month that the impact of the Middle East conflict first hit British consumers. We already saw consumer sentiment fall at its fastest rate for four years, and we now have evidence that this translated into shoppers buying less in stores," PwC UK head of retail Jacqueline Windsor said. "Overall, while retailers will be disappointed, April's performance was somewhat expected after a better than expected March, and against strong comparatives from this time last year."Also from the ONS, the country's borrowing reached 24.3 billion pounds sterling in April, 3.4 billion pounds more than the forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.In other economic news, GfK's consumer confidence index improved by two points to -23 in May, with four measures rising and one down."Consumers appear to be in a more generous mood in May, with a two-point increase in the headline score and improving perceptions of both personal finances and the wider economy," GfK consumer insights director Neil Bellamy said. "Inflation may have fallen in April, but with price pressures expected to rise again and continued uncertainty around interest rates, it's unlikely May marks the beginning of a sustained improvement."On the corporate front, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) was down 0.64% on Friday's close as its cancer drugs were recommended for approval in the European Union. The first recommendation involved the drugmaker's camizestrant in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor for adults with breast cancer, while the second concerns Enhertu, co-developed with Daiichi Sankyo, for patients with previously treated HER2-positive metastatic solid tumors.AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's Datroway also secured approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who are not PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor candidates.

FTSE 100$AZN.L

Asia Markets45d ago

UK's FTSE 100 Closes Lower; NatWest, AstraZeneca Shares Down

London's FTSE 100 concluded the trading week on a downbeat note, closing 0.14% lower on Friday amid a busy day of corporate updates, economic data prints, and private sector data releases.The UK's manufacturing sector remained in the growth territory in April, with the final S&P Global UK Manufacturing PMI reaching a 47-month high of 53.7, against the previous month's 51 and the flash estimate of 53.6. The latest reading, which sits above the neutral 50 threshold for the sixth straight month, is supported by higher output and improved new order intakes."The upturn comes with several of catches, however. Restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz are causing substantial disruptions to input deliveries, with supplier lead times lengthening to the greatest extent in almost four years," said S&P Global Market Intelligence Director Rob Dobson. "It should also be noted that the gain in production is partly the result of clients bringing forward purchases to mitigate expected price uplifts and supply disruptions. As this process unwinds later in the year, alongside declining business optimism, growth in the sector could cool while inflationary pressures remain on high heat."On the housing market front, annual house price growth in the UK climbed to 3% in April from 2.2% in March, according to Nationwide Building Society data, beating the consensus estimate of a 2.2% rise. On a monthly basis, seasonally adjusted house prices were 0.4% higher, marking four consecutive months of growth and exceeding the expected 0.3% decline.In corporate news, NatWest Group's (NWG.L) first-quarter attributable net profit jumped to 1.43 billion pounds sterling from 1.25 billion pounds. The banking group's total impairment provisions stood at 3.74 billion pounds as of March 31, up from the year-ago 3.59 billion pounds, amid increased economic uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict. The group was the biggest loser on the index, shedding 3.35% at closing.AstraZeneca (AZN.L) also saw its shares fall 3.13% after the US Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted against approving the benefit risk profile of the drugmaker's investigational drug camizestrant combined with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor as a first-line treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.The London Stock Exchange will be closed on May 4 for the Early May Bank Holiday, with trading to resume the next day.

FTSE 100$AZN.L$NWG.L