AstraZeneca is facing a “make or break” fortnight according to analysts as US drug regulators decide on the fate of the pharmaceutical company’s new diabetes and heart medicines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is due to decide on Wednesday whether to approve Astra’s anti-clotting drug, Brilinta. A day earlier, advisers will vote on whether to recommend that dapagliflozin, which Astra is developing with Bristol-Myers Squibb, be approved to treat diabetes. The events come ahead of Astra’s interim results in late July, when analysts expect second-quarter revenues of $8.2bn (£5bn), the same as last time, and pre-tax profits of $3.1bn against $2.9bn last time. Shares closed up 5½p to £30.78½ on Friday.
