AZN Q1 Earnings Beat, Stock Down on Soft Sales Performance of Key Drugs

Core Earnings and Revenue Performance - AstraZeneca's first-quarter 2025 core earnings were $1.24 per American depositary share (ADS), exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10, with core earnings of $2.49 per share reflecting a 21% year-over-year increase at constant exchange rates (CER) [1][2] - Total revenues reached $13.59 billion, a 7% increase on a reported basis and 10% at CER, although this figure fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $13.68 billion [2] Product Sales and Therapeutic Areas - Product sales increased by 9% to $12.88 billion, driven by strong demand for marketed products [3] - Oncology product sales rose 13%, while Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM) product sales increased by 12%, and Respiratory & Immunology (R&I) segment sales grew by 11%. However, sales in the Rare Disease segment remained flat, and Vaccines & Immune (V&I) Therapies saw a decline of 30% [4] Collaboration Revenues - Collaboration revenues totaled $74 million, a 64% increase attributed to a sales milestone for Farxiga in Japan, while alliance revenues rose 42% to $639 million, driven by growth from partnered medicines [5][6] Key Drug Performance - Tagrisso sales reached $1.68 billion, up 8%, surpassing estimates [7] - Lynparza sales increased by 5% to $726 million but missed estimates due to soft performance in emerging markets and U.S. headwinds [8][9] - Imfinzi generated $1.26 billion in sales, up 16%, but also missed estimates [9] - Calquence sales rose 8% to $762 million, beating estimates [10] - New drug Truqap recorded $132 million in revenues, down from the previous quarter due to Medicare Part D redesign impacts [11] Segment Performance - In the CVRM segment, Farxiga sales were $2.06 billion, up 16%, benefiting from label expansions [12] - Brilinta/Brilique sales decreased by 4% to $305 million, while new drug Wainua added $39 million in sales [13] - In the R&I segment, Symbicort sales declined by 3% to $723 million, and Pulmicort sales fell by 26% [14] - Fasenra recorded a 19% increase in sales to $418 million, exceeding estimates [15] - In the Rare Disease portfolio, Soliris sales fell 38% to $444 million, while Ultomiris revenues rose 25% to $1.05 billion [17] Cost and Guidance - Core selling, general and administrative expenses increased by 4% to $3.46 billion, while core research and development expenses rose 16% to $3.09 billion [19] - AstraZeneca maintained its 2025 guidance, expecting total revenues to grow by a high single-digit percentage at CER and core EPS to increase by a low double-digit percentage [20] Strategic Updates - AstraZeneca announced the discontinuation of the CAPItello-280 study for Truqap in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [22] - The company received a positive recommendation for a label expansion involving Calquence for CLL treatment [23] - AstraZeneca plans to launch 20 new medicines by 2030, targeting $80 billion in total annual revenues by the end of the decade [29]