AstraZeneca International - pharmaceutical company, prescription drugs, medicine manufacturers

MYANMAR (BURMA)
Immediately following the devastating cyclone in Myanmar (Burma), AstraZeneca committed $100,000 to increase Red Cross emergency relief stocks held in the charity's regional Disaster Response Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The supplies at the Centre are in considerable demand as the Red Cross continues to respond to the needs in Myanmar and so, to further strengthen the charity’s operations, now and in the future, we have today committed a further $100,000 to the Centre.

The Kuala Lumpur Centre was established with the help of $700,000 of AstraZeneca funding in 2006 to improve the speed and effectiveness of emergency response in South East Asia - one of the most disaster prone regions of the world.

The existence of the Centre meant that the Red Cross was able to respond immediately to the crisis in Myanmar, deploying critical aid, including shelter equipment and water containers for over 10,000 people.

The new funding will enable the Red Cross to purchase vital new pre-positioned stock for the Centre to help more communities affected by disaster in the South East Asia region. To date, the facility has been able to respond rapidly to the Indonesian earthquake in 2006 and the Bangladesh cyclone in 2007, as well as this latest emergency in Myanmar.

We are also working with our US-based partner, AmeriCares, regarding donation of appropriate medicines. AmeriCares is working through their established partners in Burma as they are best equipped to assess the immediate, on the ground situation based on their familiarity with the region.

AstraZeneca Thailand is also working directly with the Thai government to help get medicines to those in need.

CHINA
Following the earthquake tragedy, AstraZeneca in China have been working with the Ministry of Health's disaster relief command centre in the Sichuan Province. We initially provided $150,000 of funding and donated supplies of our anaesthetics, Diprivan and Naropin, to support the command centre's ongoing relief effort.

As the scope of the devastation continues to emerge, we have today committed a further $900,000 to a programme designed to help the affected communities re-build their lives. Work will focus on:

> Training and deployment of epidemic prevention staff (the first 30 people will begin their training this week)
> Providing education support and psychological counselling to 500 orphans and children disabled by the earthquake
> Establishing two rural health clinics in the affected area to provide high quality medical services

We have also donated $900,000 to the designated national charity, the China Charity Foundation, and we have further supplies of anaesthetics on standby in case they are needed.

Tuesday 20 May 2008