Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said on April 30 that its net profit jumped 42.6% to $2.146 billion in the first quarter compared with a year earlier.
AstraZeneca benefited from lower restructuring costs in the first three months of this year compared with the first quarter of 2008, it said in an earnings statement.
First-quarter total sales of its drugs were virtually flat at $7.701 billion.
"Our business has proved to be resilient in the first quarter, the result of excellent execution in driving growth in key product franchises and in all regions, whilst delivering improvements in operating efficiency," chief executive David Brennan said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
