We are a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business.
We focus on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease.
Our innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
Our locations
We operate in over 100 countries with a growing presence in emerging markets including China, Mexico, Brazil and Russia. Our head office is located in London, United Kingdom.
Our board
Louis Schweitzer is our Board Chair. He was appointed to this position on 11 March 2004.
Our management
Our Chief Executive Officer is David Brennan. He was appointed to this position on 1 January 2006.
Other members of our Senior Executive Team are:
- Simon Lowth, Chief Financial Officer
- Martin Mackay, President, R&D
- Tony Zook, Executive Vice President, Global Commercial
- David Smith, Executive Vice-President, Global Operations & IS
- Lynn Tetrault, Executive Vice-President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs
- Jeff Pott, General Counsel
- Katarina Ageborg, Chief Compliance Officer
View our Senior Executive Team’s biographies
Our employees
We employ over 61,000 people worldwide. This includes 8,300 people in the UK, 9,100 in Sweden, 10,450 in the Rest of Europe, 14,450 in North America, 4,150 in Latin America and 14,600 in Africa, Asia and Australasia.
About 15,700 people work in our R&D organisation and 9,300 at our Supply and Manufacturing sites.
Our key products
| In 2010, our top 10 medicines by sales were: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Arimidex $1,512m (-22%)(2009: $1,921m; 2008: $1,857m) for breast cancer |
Atacand $1,483m (+3%)(2009: $1,436m; 2008: $1,471m) for hypertension and heart failure |
Crestor $5,691m (+24%)(2009: $4,502m; 2008: $3,597m) for managing cholesterol levels |
Nexium $4,969m (0%)(2009: $4,959m; 2008: $5,200m) for acid reflux |
|
Seloken/Toprol-XL $1,210m (-17%)(2009: $1,443m; 2008: $807m) for hypertension, heart failure and angina |
Seroquel IR $4,148m (-1%)(2009: $4,171m; 2008: $4,223m) for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder |
Seroquel XR $1,154m (+67%)(2009: $695m; 2008: $229m) for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder |
Symbicort $2,746m (+20%)(2009: $2,294m; 2008: $2,004m) for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
|
Synagis $1,038m (-4%)(2009: $1,082m; 2008: $1,230m) for for RSV, a respiratory infection in infants |
Zoladex $1,115m (0%)(2009: $1,086m; 2008: $1,138m) for prostate and breast cancer |
A-Z list of products |
|
Our pipeline
We have 92 projects in the clinical phase of development, including nine in Phase III or under regulatory review.
We are prioritising our resources and focusing our internal discovery activities on diseases within our existing therapy areas where we believe there is the greatest potential. This will ensure the projects we have in our pipeline are the programmes most likely to deliver technical and commercial success.
Research and Development
In 2010 we made a core investment of $4.2 billion on R&D.
We have 14 principal R&D centres in eight countries, including Sweden, the US and the UK.
We are committed to creating an environment that allows our scientists to drive innovation and generate successful partnerships to bring forward valued new medicines.
We will continue to look at new therapeutic areas via externalisation, ensuring we optimise our own assets and look at in-licensing or acquiring opportunities where we believe there is further value.
Our key financials
| $m 2010 | $m 2009 | $m 2008 | $m 2007 | $m 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 33,269 | 32,804 | 31,601 | 29,559 | 26,475 |
| Core * | |||||
| Operating profit | 13,603 | 13,621 | 10,958 | 9,411 | n/a |
| Profit before tax | 13,086 | 12,885 | 10,495 | 9,300 | n/a |
| Earnings per share | $6.71 | $6.32 | $5.10 | $4.38 | n/a |
| Reported | |||||
| Operating profit | 11,494 | 11,543 | 9,144 | 8,094 | 8,216 |
| Profit before tax | 10,977 | 10,807 | 8,681 | 7,983 | 8,543 |
| Earnings per share | $5.60 | $5.19 | $4.20 | $3.74 | $3.86 |
| Net cash inflow from operating activities | 10,680 | 11,739 | 8,742 | 7,510 | 7,693 |
| Dividends paid | (3,361) | (2,977) | (2,739) | (2,641) | (2,220) |
| Cash returned to shareholders | 6,221 | 3,339 | 3,581 | 6,910 | 6,796 |
* Core financial measures are supplemental non-GAAP measures which management believe enhance understanding of the Company’s performance.
Our shares
AstraZeneca is traded on the London, New York and Stockholm Stock Exchanges. The symbol is AZN in all three markets.
Our largest shareholders are BlackRock, Inc; Invesco Limited; Axa SA; Investor AB; and Legal and General Investment Management Limited.
This information is current as at 14 March 2011