AstraZeneca's public relations chief, Chris Majors, will say only that Nexium is substantially more effective than Losec.

FORBES: Another Look

To deal with the problem, last December the company announced a new patented remedy, Nexium, as a successor to Losec.

FORBES: Another Look

In the meantime, AstraZeneca has filed patent infringement suits in several countries challenging competitors' plans to sell a generic version of Losec.

FORBES: Another Look

Is Nexium a significant enough improvement on Losec to give it a chance to reach sales levels near those of its predecessor?

FORBES: Another Look

The smallest is whether Mr Mogren has made the most of Losec.

ECONOMIST: Too much sex, not enough drugs | The

One major problem: the looming threat of patent expiry on its most popular remedy, the antiulcer drug omeprazole, sold as Losec (in the U.S. as Prilosec).

FORBES: Another Look

Some are more desperate than others: around 40% of AstraZeneca's total sales, for example, come from a single drug, Losec, whose American patent is scheduled to expire this year.

ECONOMIST: Prescription drugs

Astra's shares have recently been undermined by fears that the pharmaceutical firm will have nothing to succeed Losec, its best-selling anti-ulcer drug, whose patents will start to run out in 2001.

ECONOMIST: Is it a bird? Is it a manager?

"We see Nexium as a significantly better product than Losec or Prilosec but not sufficiently different to be classified as a new remedy, " says Jo Walton, a pharmaceuticals analyst at Lehman Brothers in London.

FORBES: Another Look