Responsible R&D

Diversity in clinical trials

We are taking action to ensure that our clinical trials represent the diversity of the communities with the relevant disease. Our actions include:

• Developing ways of using internal and external data sources to establish clinical trial diversity data baselines and identify gaps
• Expecting consideration of patient insights and disease population diversity early in project planning
• Clarifying criteria for reimbursement of lost work time to remove barrier to trial participation
• Initiating training for new and diverse investigators
• Characterising our key opinion leaders, patient interest groups and advisory boards to help align to our representation objectives
• Building alliances within key communities and within the industry. In 2020, AstraZeneca's Chief Medical Officer joined the Executive Committee of the Multiregional Clinical Trial initiative at Harvard University, which is working on an inclusion and diversity toolkit for clinical trials. A guidance document was released to help pharmaceutical companies achieve diversity, inclusion, and equity in clinical research, along with a set of useful toolkits for clinical trial diversity

For more on our approach to ensuring all that we do reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, see Inclusion and diversity.

Harnessing digital to optimise the patient experience

Digital health is the point at which healthcare, technology, data and analytics converge. The World Health Organization believes digital health has the potential to improve health for everyone.¹ Here are two examples of our digital health work:

Clinical trials

We aim to increase access for underserved communities by using digital technologies. One of the challenges of study participation for patients is the amount of time spent attending clinic visits. With virtual visits, non-invasive data collection and technology that monitors patients in their homes instead of in a hospital setting, we are reducing the number of clinic visits needed. We are scaling this model globally across our therapy areas and implementing strategies that aim for the majority of our clinical trials to be hybrid — partially in-person and partially virtual.

Digital therapeutics

As we move forward, the use of devices and sensors to remotely monitor patients should reduce by half the incidence of acute hospital visits across all our therapy areas. Our vision is to reimagine healthcare by delivering better outcomes using digital therapeutics (DxTx). In 2020, we developed an innovative DxTx aimed at supporting earlier identification and management of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). ILD is an umbrella term for a wide range of conditions that cause scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs, impacting the patients’ ability to breathe. The new DxTx is intended to enable the early detection and management of ILD.

Footnotes: 

[1] https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/gs4dhdaa2a9f352b0445bafbc79ca799dce4d.pdf?sfvrsn=f112ede5_38

Greater access to children's cancer medicines

The AstraZeneca Paediatric Oncology Working Group was established to set objectives to address unmet medical needs in paediatric oncology. In 2020, the group established partnerships with Children’s Oncology Group and Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer in Europe (ITCC) to ensure AstraZeneca delivers optimal paediatric studies, while securing pivotal access to the rare and vulnerable paediatric population. The Group's internal engagement with project teams aims to raise awareness of the need to accelerate initial paediatric evaluation of AstraZeneca’s cancer medicines.

"Developing appropriate medicines is absolutely critical for paediatric patients. And I'd urge everyone to build this thinking into their project strategies early, and challenge the norm and make this the new normal."

— Eileen McBride, Project Leader, Intelligent Pharmaceuticals

AstraZeneca CEO signs historic vaccines pledge

In collaboration with nine biopharmaceutical companies, Pascal Soriot signed a pledge to continue to develop and test potential vaccines for COVID-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles.

Research on treating and preventing COVID-19

We are studying preventative options for people exposed to COVID-19, as well as to treat and prevent disease progression in patients already infected with the virus. See more in COVID-19 actions.

Accelerating patient access to our medicines

AstraZeneca implemented a project to identify changes needed to submit for approval in international markets at a rate 50% faster than previously. Accelerated filing times should result in patients receiving our life-changing medicines sooner. This project aims to increase the speed to file in multiple countries on the Access to Medicines Index (ATMI), including Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Phillipines, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.