| Score Against Heartburn This Super Bowl Sunday
SUNDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The Super Bowl-sized spread of food that football fans crave is no touchdown for the tummy, experts warn. Indulging in party favorites like nachos, pizza, chili, wings and beer leaves many people open to being tackled by heartburn; most often caused by the reflux or backwash of acid from the stomach up in to the esophagus. .
AstraZeneca 4Q Profit Rises 17 Percent
AstraZeneca PLC said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit rose 17 percent, boosted by strong sales of its top five products and cost cutting. But the company said its focus remained on strengthening its weak pipeline of future drugs. The company, which is facing patent challenges and escalating generic competition, also said that it plans to cut 3,000 jobs over the next three years despite predicting continued sales momentum this year. Net profit for the three months to Dec. 31 was $1.4 billion, up from $1.2 billion a year earlier, AstraZeneca said. Revenue rose 14 percent to $7.2 billion. For the full year, profit rose 28.5 percent to $6.04 billion, while sales lifted 11 percent to $26.8 billion. The 2006 results were driven by a 23 percent increase in combined sales of its five key products -- heartburn drug Nexium, schizophrenia treatment Seroquel, cholesterol-lowering treatment Crestor, asthma drug Symbicort and breast cancer treatment Arimidex -- to $13.3 billion.
AstraZeneca reports strong Q4 earnings, says pipeline needs to be strengthened
LONDON (AP) - AstraZeneca PLC announced it will slash 3,000 jobs over the next three years despite reporting its third successive year of earnings growth Thursday, stressing that it still needs to improve its weak pipeline of future drugs. The drug maker, which is facing patent challenges and escalating generic competition, revealed the job cuts as part of a US$500 million (euro384.02 million) three-year revamp of its supply chain as it said that sales growth would continue at a slower pace this year. Net profit for the three months to Dec. 31 rose 17 per cent to US$1.4 billion (euro1.08 billion), from US$1.2 billion a year earlier, AstraZeneca said. Revenue rose 14 per cent to US$7.2 billion (euro5.56 billion). For the full year, profits rose 28.5 per cent to US$6.04 billion (euro4.66 billion), while revenue lifted 11 per cent to US$26.8 billion (euro20.69 billion), marking the third year of growth since the expiration of a number of key patents in 2003.
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