AstraZeneca’s US CR Council is a cross-functional group of managers that reports through the US Compliance Officer to the AstraZeneca Business Integrity and Assurance Team. The Council creates the US Priority Action Plan, and monitors the implementation across the US organisation. The US CR Plan is aligned with our Global Plan and there are identified managers with responsibility for overseeing progress in each of the key issue areas.
We electronically published our second annual US CR Report in June 2007 and updated it in September 2007. This report provides more country-specific information about how AstraZeneca is delivering on its CR commitment in the US. This report is widely available internally and externally, via our external US web site, astrazeneca-us.com.
As part of our CR priority action plan in the US we improved access to and affordability of products for uninsured and underinsured patients in the US by launching an expansion of our programme for delivering AstraZeneca products free of change to eligible low income patients treated at qualifying clinics and hospitals. We increased public awareness of our patient assistance programmes by including affordability references in our direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. In addition, we enhanced our patient assistance programme for uninsured patients by raising the revenue ceiling to an industry-leading 300% of the federal poverty level and launched a public/private partnership for the uninsured with the state of Delaware, where our North American headquarters is located.
During 2007, AstraZeneca launched AZ&me.com, a website that provides health information, resources, and prescription savings guidance for the general public. AZ&me connects individuals with information, tools, and support for a better healthcare experience. It provides programmes, information, and access to applications that help provide assistance for medicines. We have also developed "Health InfoCenters" that cover a number of disease areas, enabling individuals to find important and relevant information to help make better-informed decisions with their doctor. AstraZeneca received the 2007 Community Health/Disease Prevention Award from Marcelino, Pan y Vino Inc. (MAPAVI) for demonstrating a true commitment to the Hispanic community through our health promotion and education awareness programmes.
All US employees, and key external resource staff, are given training in our US Code of Conduct and other policies that are relevant to their roles and to sustaining an ethical culture within the Company. In 2007, we introduced live workshop training that enabled leaders to engage in meaningful discussions on ethical issues with colleagues from across the company. CR also continues to be integrated into a range of business-related communications to promote understanding and commitment to responsible behaviour as part of everyone’s daily working life.
AstraZeneca US demonstrated its significant commitment to safety with the achievement of National Safety Council awards for four US sites in 2007 for their performance in 2006.
The Newark, Delaware Supply Site received the Occupational Excellence Achievement Award, which is given to participants who achieved a Lost Time Work injuries/illnesses rate equal to or less than 50% of the Bureau of Labor (BLS) rate for their industry. Newark achieved a Lost Time Work rate for 2006 of 0.30, which was less than half of the BLS rate of 0.70.
Three additional sites each received a Significant Improvement Award for reducing Lost Time Work injuries/illnesses by a minimum of 20%. The Westborough, Massachusetts Supply Site exceeded this criterion by reducing injuries/illnesses by 57%. The Waltham Research and Development facility achieved this award for the second year in a row by reducing injuries/illnesses by 33%. In addition, Waltham made significant, sustained progress in reducing Lost Work Days attributable to repetitive motion (ergonomic) disorders, from 10 cases and 168 days away in 2004, to only 1 case and no days away in 2006. The Wilmington Research and Development facility reduced injuries/illnesses by 40% due to the combined effort of Discovery Research, PAR&D and Clinical Development.
| Some examples of AstraZeneca's community support in the US | In 2007, AstraZeneca in the US announced a donation of $10 million for 50 New American Cancer Society “Patient Navigator Program” sites throughout the US over the next five years.
During the year, we also announced our three-year support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness programme to establish support groups for people with mental illness.
AstraZeneca is a proud national sponsor of START!, the American Heart Association’s national movement to encourage all Americans to live longer, stronger lives by taking up walking and other healthy habits in the workplace
For more information about our community projects and other areas of CR commitment in the US visit AstraZeneca US online |
The content of this page was externally assured by Bureau Veritas, February 2008 |