Pharmaceuticals producer Astra Zeneca (AZN) looks set to focus all its activities in the UK in Cambridge, as it consolidates its research & development activities. Its researchers at Alderley Park in Cheshire will be given the option of moving to East Anglia, though many may find this impractical.
The background to Astra's latest round of consolidation is the effort by its new chief executive, Pascal Soriot, to rebuild the group's product pipeline. The company's R&D had arguably become too bloated, with work on a large range of disease areas. In contrast, successful big pharma companies such Mr Soriot's past employer Roche have focused on a few therapeutic areas. Having largely junked its research into drugs for the central nervous system, Astra looks set on even greater level of specialisation.
