AstraZeneca International - Glossary of medical and financial terms

C

CAD/CAM: Computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing.
Candidate Drug (CD): A drug to be taken into clinical concept testing phase.
Carbapenem: A class of antibiotic drugs.
Cardiovascular (CV): Relating to the heart and blood vessels.
CAT: Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc.
CEE: Central and Eastern Europe.
CER: Constant Exchange Rates.
Cerebrovascular disease: Disease affecting the arteries in the brain or those that supply blood to the brain.
Chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs): Gaseous compounds of carbon, chlorine, fluorine and hydrogen.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow, eg bronchitis.
Cognitive disorders: Disorders with progressive or chronic impairment of cognition or memory.
Colorectal cancer (CRC): Also called colon cancer or bowel cancer.
Company: AstraZeneca PLC.
Congestive heart failure (CHF): Impairment of the heart muscle leading to deterioration of the heart’s ability to function as a pump to circulate blood throughout the body.
Corticosteroid: Any of the steroid hormones made by the cortex (outer layer) of the adrenal gland.
Cost growth rates: Percentage growth of a particular cost category over the comparable cost category for the previous year.
CR: Corporate Responsibility.
C-reactive protein (CRP): Produced by the liver. The level of CRP rises when there is body-wide (systemic) inflammation.
CRO: A contract research organisation to which pharmaceutical companies can sub-contract activities, for example clinical trial work.
Crohn’s disease: A chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowels.