ASTRAZENECA CUTS U.S. SALES JOBS AFTER DRUG SETBACKS

AstraZeneca Europe's third-biggest drugmaker, cut roughly 500 contract sales positions, or almost 10 percent of its U.S. sales force, after setbacks with the Exanta blood-thinner and lung cancer treatment Iressa. The contract employees promote older brands, while the sales force employed directly by AstraZeneca markets higher-selling products such as the Nexium ulcer drug and cholesterol-reducer Crestor, company spokesman Steve Brown said.

Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=am3ZhwcHVkUs&refer=uk)