AstraZeneca non-exec takes more shares

Jean-Phillippe Courtois, a non-executive director at AstraZeneca, has spent nearly £50,000 upping his stake in the drug giant.

He bought 2,135 shares for 2,299p each and now has 2,635.

News of his purchase came on the same day AstraZeneca was celebrating a favourable decision from US regulators regarding its new drug application for diabetes treatment ONGLYZA.

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The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee decided that the data supporting the drug application for ONGLYZA were sufficient to discount unacceptable cardiovascular risk.

Courtois, who is also the President of software company Microsoft's non-US operations, was appointed to Astra's board on February 18.

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