AstraZeneca trims about 600 U.S. respiratory and immunology roles as it pivots to pipeline

What happened

AstraZeneca cut roughly 600 positions from its U.S. respiratory and immunology commercial teams, an early look at how the company is moving money toward future medicines. People familiar with the changes said part of the group handled marketing for asthma treatments Breztri and Airsupra, while the company declined to comment.

These reductions sit inside a three-year cost program that could result in up to $2 billion of one-time restructuring charges and aims to generate $1.5 billion in pretax savings each year. CEO Pascal Soriot has said those savings would be largely funneled back into developing new therapies.

How the business is shifting

AstraZeneca said in October the plan is about moving resources to the most critical areas and is not expected to cut the overall headcount. Some employees affected by the restructuring are expected to take new roles within the company, which has more than 25,000 U.S. employees. The company also reduced the scope of its deal with Syneos Health, a U.S. commercial partner.

Respiratory and immunology contributed about 14% of total sales last year, and its 12% growth rate was second only to the company's cancer portfolio. The biggest sellers in that unit are older inhaler Symbicort and the antibody Fasenra for a severe form of asthma. Breztri, another inhaler, recently won approval to treat COPD and has seen quick uptake in the U.S. since its July launch for that use. Airsupra, by contrast, has met pricing pressures in the U.S. since its 2024 rollout.

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What it means for investors

Soriot has highlighted patent expirations in some markets for Farxiga and Brilinta, noting, "There we have to redeploy resources from this part of the company to oncology, rare disease or other parts," after third-quarter results. He has also faced investor scrutiny after clinical trial setbacks. The company plans to step up pipeline investment after a surge in oncology sales, and its shares have risen roughly 1.4% from the beginning of the year.

AstraZeneca has committed to invest $50 billion in the U.S., including an expansion of manufacturing that, it said, is likely to generate tens of thousands of jobs. Rival GSK is following a similar playbook, tightening costs to fund new drugs as an HIV product nears a patent cliff before decade's end, and moving its R&D headquarters to Cambridge, UK, near AstraZeneca's global base.

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