AstraZeneca shares jump on blood-thinner drug study

"Shares of AstraZeneca PLC rose over 5% on Monday after the Anglo-Swedish company said a key study showed its new blood-thinner Brilinta helped prevent stroke and heart attack better than the industry leader Plavix in certain cardiac patients. Shares of AstraZeneca (AZN) had jumped 6% to $38.19 by midday. The Phase III clinical trial tested Brilinta against Plavix in 18,624 patients with acute coronary syndrome, or ACS, in 43 countries. The study was led by a professor at Sweden's Uppsala Clinical Research Center and by one at Duke Clinical Research Institute. ACS is a condition whereby the heart muscle isn't receiving enough blood, generally due to some sort of blockage in the coronary arteries. The syndrome is associated with chest pain" - Market Watch