1223 GMT - Europe and Japan are falling behind the U.S. and increasingly China on access to pharma innovation, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot says on a call with reporters. Pricing talks are under way with many governments around the world, particularly those chosen by the U.S. to compare its prices to, Soriot says. Talks with the Japanese government are going well, but it remains to be seen what happens in Europe, he says. The drug-price rebates adopted by Germany in its recently passed healthcare reform were disappointing, Soriot says. While the German government has signaled it wants to reform reimbursements of new products, that hasn't taken place yet, AstraZeneca's CEO says. Shares rise 1.7%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 27, 2026 08:23 ET (12:23 GMT)

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