ASTRA - ANALYSIS OF PATENTING 1993-1996

Strong and consistent growth over the past five years characterises As tra's performance, both in terms of patenting, development candidates and financial performance. A former excess of licensed-in candidates h as now been corrected, parity as a result of the Fisons acquisition. N ew product discovery activity is dominated by research into neurologic als, based in the UK and US; research in Sweden is primarily concerned with anti-ulcers - follow-ups to omeprazole. There is heavy patenting of formulations, again dominated by omeprazole, and of devices for dr ug administration, particularly in relation to respiratory products.