Zeneca breaks £1bn barrier

PHARMACEUTICAL giant Zeneca burst through the £1 billion sterling profits barrier last year, it has announced. The group made a taxable profit of £1.011 billion, an increase of 15 per cent on the £878 million it made in the previous year. An exceptional item of £36 million relating to a loss on disposals brought the headline figure back below the magic mark to £975 million, compared with a post-exceptionals figure of £619 million in 1995.