AstraZeneca is in line for a $250m (£159m) boost after it signed an agreement with US pharma giant Pfizer to market heartburn treatment Nexium over-the-counter around the world, with royalties to come in addition.
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The deal is not a world beater in the context of Nexium's $6.3bn annual sales. But it does show that Astra is starting to think about how to enhance the earning power of its remaining blockbuster products as they wind down towards patent expiry - indeed, Astra has about two years to get the remaining value out of Nexium, one of its biggest earners, before a deal with generics company Ranbaxy to sell a licensed generic version of the drug comes into force.
