AstraZeneca ranked in top three in the Access to Medicine Index

AstraZeneca ranked in the top three in the 2026 Access to Medicine Index (ATMI), reflecting progress in delivering our Health Equity strategy and our ambition to reach 400 million people from underserved groups by 2030. Our rise from fifth to third was driven by our comprehensive access planning and effective capability building across Research and Development and the production of our innovative medicines. The Index also recognised our efforts to strengthen health systems through initiatives such as Cancer Care Africa and our partnership with Qure.ai. Together with our Young Health Programme, Healthy Heart Africa and PHSSR initiatives, these efforts are helping to advance health equity around the world.

ATMI is an independent evaluation and ranking of 20 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, based on their efforts to improve access to medicine across 113 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It focuses on three areas: Research and Development (R&D), Product Delivery, and Governance of Access.

A strong performance in R&D

We improved our rank to third from seventh for R&D, reflecting our commitment to bringing innovation to more people around the world. We had the largest Phase III pipeline for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in our industry, with access plans in place for more than 90% of our late-stage projects.

Our access plans were commended for their geographical reach and comprehensiveness. They consider regulatory approval and incorporate public reimbursement, affordability initiatives, health system strengthening and patient reach monitoring from the outset.

Advancing access, underpinned by responsible governance

Our performance for Product Delivery underpinned our improved ranking for R&D. On average, we register newer medicines in more countries than our peers, including more countries with the highest burden of disease. We were also recognised for our efforts to build local manufacturing capacity in LMICs.

For Governance of Access, we were recognised for the clear, measurable and time-bound goals set out in our Health Equity strategy to reach 400M underserved people by 2030. The Index also highlighted Board-level accountability for access to medicine and annual reviews of our progress and strategy. It commended our robust controls to promote ethical practices, alongside our strong commitment to responsible sales and promotional practices.

Robust capacity building initiatives

Across the three areas, we were commended for our capacity building programmes: 15 of the 16 assessed programmes across R&D, manufacturing, supply chains and health system strengthening met all Good Practice Standards. These included the certified Clinical Research Coordinator programme developed with Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Center in Vietnam; our collaboration with Qure.ai to embed AI-supported chest X-ray assessment in 11 countries; and our supplier-development support across Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, China and India.

Closing care gaps for underserved communities

Our Cancer Care Africa programme was cited as an example of our efforts to improve equity and health system sustainability in LMICs. Since it launched in 2022, Cancer Care Africa has advocated for policy changes to improve outcomes for people affected by the disease and encourage the adoption of innovative health technologies to make cancer screening more accessible, especially in remote and underserved communities.

This is just one of our initiatives to deliver care to underserved patients. Since 2014, our Healthy Heart Africa programme has screened 81 million people for hypertension and, following its expansion in 2025, for chronic kidney disease.

Veeva ID: Z4-90393
Date of preparation: November 2026