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Feb 10 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca on Tuesday forecast profit and sales growth in 2026, betting on demand for its cancer treatments and newer drugs as it pushes expansion in the United States and China.
The outlook comes as longtime CEO Pascal Soriot seeks to steer the company towards its target of $80 billion in annual sales by 2030 through new medicines and investments, despite shifting U.S. tariff and healthcare policies.
AstraZeneca has made major moves to grow in the United States and China, its top two markets, with a $50 billion U.S. manufacturing deal last year, an NYSE listing and a $15 billion China investment this year following setbacks in the region.
The UK’s most valuable listed company forecast 2026 total revenue to grow by mid-to-high single-digit percentage at constant currency rates, with core profit growth of a low double-digit percentage.
In 2025, sales and profit rose 8% and 11%, respectively. AstraZeneca had expected revenue to increase by a high single-digit percentage, with core earnings to grow by a low double-digit percentage.
The company’s core earnings for the three months ended December 31 stood at $2.12 per share after total revenue rose 2% to $15.50 billion. Analysts were expecting $2.12 and $15.4 billion, respectively, according to a company-compiled consensus.
AstraZeneca said sales of its cancer drugs during the quarter rose 20% to $7.03 billion, but revenue from its cardiovascular drugs fell 6% to $3.05 billion, partly due to generic competition.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka and Sri Hari N S in Bengaluru, and Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija in London; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
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