Originally, the acquisition of MedImmune and Cambridge Antibody Technology Group to fill AstraZeneca's diminishing pipelines was planned to cause the termination of 3,000 employees by 2010. Most of the cuts coming from European sales and marketing, unspecified R&D areas, and regulatory affairs.

?We are determined to maintain a competitive financial performance in the challenging environment that affects the pharmaceutical sector,? ceo Dave Brennan said today in a conference call with journalists, Bloomberg News reports.

According to Pharmalot, ?The London-based company also reduced its earnings per share forecast for the year to $3.60 to $3.75 from a previous range of $3.80 to $4.05. Net income in the second quarter fell $1.43 billion, or 95 cents a share, compared with $1.6 billion, or $1.02, a year ago. The company was expected to earn $1.6 billion, or $1.07 a share, on sales of $7.18 billion in the second quarter, according to the median estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.?

If AstraZeneca would have placed a greater emphasis on research and development than on marketing, they would have never been in this situation. Drug companies are worried about getting more money out of the drugs that were created 20 years. If they would focus more on creating new and innovative drugs when a blockbuster drug went off patent or went belly up, they wouldn't have to scramble to buy something to put in the pipeline.

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