AstraZeneca is a British pharmaceutical
firm, operating in more than 100 countries, with primary foci on cardiovascular
and metabolic diseases, oncology (cancer), and respiratory, inflammation
and autoimmunity issues.
AstraZeneca employ around
51,500 people worldwide, make drugs in 16 countries, and had 2012
sales over $25.7 billion (Astrazeneca.com). In the past few years,
the firm has made repeated news headlines as a possibly desirable
target for takeovers, something that by the end of 2014 its shareholders
had resisted.
The AstraZeneca stable of products includes several blockbuster drugs. Included in these is Crestor, which as of the middle of 2014 was the bestselling cholesterol ...