Capivasertib

SOPHiA GENETICS is deepening its long-standing alliance with AstraZeneca. Under the new collaboration, SOPHiA's multimodal AI Factories will be used to study the therapeutic efficacy, real-world performance and value of treatments for specific types of breast cancer.  The multi-year initiative will also further support development of a tailored, AI-powered predictive model aimed at optimising outcomes for patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. "Our platform is purpose-built to manage complex healthcare data environments, and this collaboration reinforces our shared commitment to driving better patient outcomes through trusted, federated analytics powered by data and AI," Ross Muken, president of SOPHiA GENETICS, said in a release Tuesday.  The company's AI Factories are proprietary analytical engines embedded in the SOPHiA DDM Platform that integrate and analyse multiple data types — including genomics, imaging and clinical data — to train predictive AI models for precision medicine. AstraZeneca will use the platform to uncover insights that could help improve treatment strategies for patients with breast cancer receiving its therapies. The partners will also work on gathering real-world evidence across Europe and North America to identify key drivers of treatment response, address knowledge gaps and support more informed clinical decision-making. "A core component of our AI strategy has been rooted in the deployment of frontier AI solutions across oncology clinical development," said Jorge Reis-Filho, chief AI and data scientist at AstraZeneca. "Fine tuning and augmenting our models with multimodal data — including our own data and the data that will be generated as part of this collaboration — is helping us to generate a more holistic understanding of disease biology and biomarkers to tailor the most effective treatment to patients living with cancer." AstraZeneca's breast cancer portfolio spans multiple subtypes. For HR+/HER2- breast cancer, approved treatments include oestrogen receptor antagonist Faslodex (fulvestrant) and  PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib), for patients with BRCA mutations. The company recently introduced capivasertib, an AKT inhibitor, and is developing camizestrant, an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD). In HER2+ and HER2-low disease, AstraZeneca co-develops the HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) with Daiichi Sankyo. Another ADC, Datroway (datopotamab) deruxtecan, was recently approved for HR+/HER2- breast cancer following endocrine therapy. In triple-negative breast cancer, the PD-L1 inhibitor Imfinzi (durvalumab) is being studied in combination regimens.  The partnership between SOPHiA and AstraZeneca began in 2023 to accelerate oncology drug development and support more targeted treatment strategies using SOPHiA's multimodal AI capabilities. The collaboration broadened in scope in late 2023 with the inclusion of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, aiming to scale access to MSK's MSK‑ACCESS and MSK‑IMPACT genomic assays via the SOPHiA DDM cloud platform. AstraZeneca provided support to broaden deployment globally. During 2024, the partners rolled out MSK‑ACCESS powered by SOPHiA DDM across multiple institutions. By April 2025, the collaboration further expanded to reach 30 clinical institutions worldwide.

Bengaluru: AstraZeneca on Tuesday beat second-quarter revenue and profit expectations on robust sales of newer cancer, heart and kidney disease medicines and strong demand in the U.S., where it has invested $50 billion to expand amid tariff threats from Washington. The performance is a boost for the UK's largest-listed company by market value as the wider sector braces for U.S. tariffs on pharmaceutical imports and navigates pressure after President Donald Trump's order pushing for drugmakers to cut U.S. prices to what other countries pay. AstraZeneca shares rose as much as 3% to about 111 pounds by 0923 GMT, hitting their highest since early April. The drugmaker in April forecast only a limited impact from potential U.S. tariffs, adding it would be able to meet its annual outlook if the levies on European imports were similar to those in other industries. A European Union-U.S. trade deal over the weekend will result in a 15% tariff on pharmaceuticals from the region. The U.S. accounted for more than 40% of AstraZeneca's revenue in 2024. The company had prioritised the market - the world's largest, worth $635 billion - even before Trump's return to office. Novartis this month also said potential new U.S. tariffs would not affect its 2025 guidance, and J&J halved its expectations for costs this year related to new levies and raised its full-year forecasts. However, Abbott flagged an over $1 billion hit in 2025 from the duties and a drop in demand for COVID tests. AstraZeneca is betting on a wave of expected launches of 20 new medicines and its U.S. expansion to reach $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and offset generic competition. On Tuesday, it maintained its 2025 outlook and increased its interim dividend by 3%. "Our strong momentum in revenue growth continued through the first half of the year and the delivery from our broad and diverse pipeline has been excellent," CEO Pascal Soriot said. CANCER DRUGS OUTPERFORM Sales of oncology drugs , constituting nearly half of AstraZeneca's revenue, were up 18% at $6.31 billion at constant currency rates in the quarter. Jefferies analysts said sales of drugs including Tagrisso, Lynparza, Calquence, Truqap and Imfinzi beat expectations. Total revenue for the three months ended June grew 11% to $14.46 billion, with double-digit growth in the U.S. despite headwinds from changes in U.S. Medicare price negotiations. Core earnings stood at $2.17 per share. That compares with analysts' expectations of $2.16, and $14.15 billion in sales, according to a company-provided consensus. "Operationally, this is the type of quarter we want to see," Barclays analysts said. AstraZeneca is also hoping to move on from scandals in its second-biggest market, China, where it this year faced minor fines related to cancer drugs. It is also fighting patent challenges from an individual against Tagrisso. The company also delayed late-stage AVANZAR trial data for a key lung cancer treatment to the first half of 2026. (Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka and Unnamalai L in Bengaluru, and Maggie Fick in London; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sharon Singleton)