Ethics and transparency
Creating positive societal impact and promoting ethical behaviour in all markets across our value chain
Highlights
45.4%
of senior middle management roles and above are held by women
86%
of employee survey respondents feel that AstraZeneca is a great place to work
63.3
instances of non-compliance with the Code of Ethics per thousand employees in commercial regions
89%
of supplier spend was assessed through our third-party risk management (3PRM) process
80%
of employee survey respondents feel that AstraZeneca has a Speak Up culture
71%
of our sites actively promote three or more of our four Essential Health Activities: healthy eating and drinking, physical activity, tobacco cessation and workplace pressure management
Our approach
We want to be valued for not only our medicines, but also for the way we work. We believe integrity, respect and transparency comprise the foundation of a healthy business culture. We build trust by demonstrating ethical business practices and fair treatment of all living things in everything we do within our company, across our value chain and in society.
Our core company Values, including putting patients first and doing the right thing, guide our decision-making and foster a unified AstraZeneca culture. These Values underpin all our activities and serve as a compass for our interactions. Our approach goes beyond rules and policies: we want to empower our workforce to use their judgement to do the right thing.
Our Ethics and transparency focus areas include:
Our Ethics and transparency approach supports the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Our stories
Sustainability Spotlights
Animals in Science
At AstraZeneca we embrace a ‘Culture of Care’. This means we have high standards of animal welfare and constantly look for ways to improve how we use animals in science. We are committed to the 3Rs in our research – Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement.
We have a Council for Science and Animal Welfare (C-SAW), the expert decision-making group, which oversees the use of animals in science, ensuring our oversight mechanisms are robust, and ensuring that we continually improve laboratory animal science and welfare.
Learn more about our approach to Animals in Research here.
Learn more about our approach to Bioethics here.
See our Bioethics Policy to learn more
image source: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/resources/image-library
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are used to study the effects of potential new medicines in humans. They are critical to developing new life-saving medicines. We are continually working to be transparent with our data from clinical trials.
Visit our Transparency portal for information on results from our clinical trials. This industry-wide portal was driven by AstraZeneca, in collaboration with a vendor partner. It is first of its kind, developed with input from patients.
See our Bioethics Policy to learn more
Approach to Taxation
Our business activities around the world incur a substantial amount and variety of taxes. The taxes we pay and collect represent a significant contribution to the countries and societies in which we operate.
See our Approach to Taxation policy to learn more.
Intellectual Property
AstraZeneca is committed to expanding access to healthcare through intellectual property and to providing transparency about where our patents are filed and enforced.
See our Intellectual Property statement to learn more about our approach, to view the list of countries where we do not file patent applications, and to view patent rights for medicines used to treat Index diseases.
Human Biological Samples
The use of human biological samples, such as solid tissue, biofluids and their derivatives, plays a vital role in developing a deeper understanding of human diseases, which helps us develop effective, new and precision medicines as well as improved diagnoses.
When we conduct this research, we employ processes to ensure that we maintain high ethical standards. We place an emphasis on informed consent that protects the rights and expectations of donors and families.
Learn more about our approach to Bioethics here.
See our Bioethics Policy to learn more.
Our Sustainability Data Summary shows the numbers on this topic.
Bioethics Interactive Infographic
Making bioethics information easily accessible, our interactive infographic highlights the range of ethical issues that arise from the study and practice of biological and medical science. Bioethics at AstraZeneca is governed by the Bioethics Advisory Group (BAG), sponsored by the Chief Medical Officer, bringing together subject matter experts for the main areas of bioethical interest.
Interactive Transparency Map launched
We’re boosting our efforts in transparency. We've launched a new interactive tool to increase our openness around sourcing, manufacturing, site programmes and access to healthcare programmes involved in delivering our medicines to patients. This is a step on our sustainability journey. It puts our Value of doing the right thing into action.
Our professional interactions are transparent
By providing visibility into the details of financial arrangements with HCPs and HCOs, AstraZeneca hopes to foster a greater understanding of the value, appropriateness, and necessity of relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and HCPs and HCOs – relationships critical to the research and development of new medicines and to vital exchanges of information within the broader medical community. For more information as well as a view of our disclosure reports, click on the link below.
Read more about Ethics and transparency in our Sustainability report
To view our Code of Ethics, policies, standards and positions, visit our Resources page