AstraZeneca beats Street

AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN; AZN) reported second quarter EPS of $0.50, beating the Street estimate of $0.48 and up 28% from EPS of $0.39 posted during same period last year. Quarterly sales increased to $5.3 billion from $4.4 billion, up 11% from the second quarter of 2003 based on a constant exchange rate.

Worlwide sales of cholesterol drug Crestor rosuvastatin reached $207 million for the quarter, up 60% from $129 million last quarter. Last August, the drug was approved in the U.S., where sales for the quarter were $113 million. Sales of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) drug Nexium were $891 million in the second quarter. Sales of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug increased 106% to $103 million from $47 million, including $54 million in sales outside the U.S., an increase of 65%. ...