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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

AstraZeneca to pause £200m Cambridge investment, shares slump

(Sharecast News) - AstraZeneca slumped on Monday after saying it was pausing plans to invest £200m at its Cambridge research site. The pharmaceuticals giant confirmed the move after the close on Friday.

A spokesperson for the company said: "We constantly reassess the investment needs of our company and can confirm our expansion in Cambridge is paused. We have no further comment to make."

The confirmation came after Reuters said the decision on the investment, which had been set to create 1,000 jobs, means that none of AstraZeneca's planned new funding - originally announced in March 2024 - is currently proceeding.

In January, AstraZeneca scrapped plans to invest £450m in its vaccine manufacturing plant in northern England, citing a cut in government support.

At 0935 BST, the shares were down 3.4% at 11,390p.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said this was "hot on the heels of other pharmaceutical strategic withdrawals given the perceived lack of interest from the government".

He added: "Despite the dip, the shares are up by 21% so far this year, but from a UK perspective such moves add to the possibility that Astra could seek to reflect its US exposure by switching its primary listing, which would be a major reputational blow."

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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