AstraZeneca saw its profit and turnover thicken in the first quarter. The pharmaceutical company, as well as industry peers, benefited from building up customer stocks amid the corona pandemic.

Profit rose to $ 780 million in the reporting period. That was $ 593 million a year earlier. Revenues grew by 16 percent to nearly $ 6.4 billion and increased in all regions where AstraZeneca operates.

AstraZeneca calls stock building itself a short-term effect. Extending prescriptions and patients who take their medicines more faithfully during the corona pandemic also contributed to the result, but AstraZeneca also believes that this effect will decrease in the coming months. AstraZeneca nevertheless left the financial targets for the year.