Alexion's ambitions in rare diseases burning bright after takeover

Rare diseases powerhouse Alexion was last year acquired for $39 billion by the Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN), becoming part of one of big pharma’s most successful companies in recent years.

But this major milestone has not altered Alexion’s burning ambitions in rare diseases, and indeed it has bolstered the company’s drive to deliver more medicines to more patients around the world.

"We needed to increase our development capabilities"Evidence of this was provided last month with the announcement that Alexion is to establish a new global development hub in Barcelona, Spain, where up to 100 R&D specialists will be recruited over the next two years.