Better Health for All

AstraZeneca's core business focuses on developing life-changing medicines and vaccines, impacting over 134 million patient lives annually and reaching 90.5 million people through access programs.

The company invested $13.6 billion in R&D in 2024, which represents 19.7% of its $69.1 billion total revenue, aligning with the 19-21% tier for health innovation investment. For price accessibility, AstraZeneca provides medications at no cost to eligible uninsured and Medicare patients through the AZ&Me program and commits to not filing patent applications in low-income and least-developed countries, also considering voluntary IP licenses in developing countries. In 2024, the company had seven product recalls, none at the patient level, and no critical GMP findings from 49 inspections. AstraZeneca publishes all clinical trial results on public registries and in peer-reviewed journals, providing easy-to-understand summaries, and immediately reports serious events to health authorities and participants. The company also shares anonymized patient data with qualified researchers. AstraZeneca's Healthy Heart Africa program operates in nine African countries, and the ACT on Health Equity initiative targets historically excluded populations in the US, aiming to reach millions facing systemic barriers. The Young Health Programme is a global disease prevention initiative. In 2024, AstraZeneca's community investment totaled $126.7 million across 65 countries, with $11.2 million for disaster relief and public health responses. The company acknowledges the climate crisis as a public health crisis and is transitioning inhaled medicines to a propellant with 99.9% lower global warming potential. AstraZeneca supports access to STEM education.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Approximately 64% of AstraZeneca's workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements, where customary practice, legal framework, and employee support exist.

The company's employee engagement score was 86% in 2024, with 80% feeling valued for diverse opinions. Voluntary employee turnover was 10.9%. The median gender pay gap in the UK was 6.8% in 2024, meaning women earned 93.2p for every £1 men earned, and the median bonus pay gap was 17.3%. In 2021, the company reported two employee fatalities: one due to a vehicle accident and one fatal illness from potentially work-related COVID-19 exposure. In 2024, there were 3,853 instances of employee and third-party non-compliance with company policies, resulting in 401 removals and 2,498 warnings. Additionally, between 2008 and 2021, there were three substantiated employment discrimination penalties totaling $1.16 million and one workplace safety violation penalty of $8,213 in 2012.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

AstraZeneca reported no substantiated cases of modern slavery in 2024.

The company incorporates modern slavery clauses into its contracts and includes a contractual clause related to conflict minerals in new or renewed supplier contracts. As of the 2023 annual review, there is no presence of conflict minerals in AstraZeneca's product portfolio. For corrective action plans, critical findings are reaudited within 12 months, and non-critical findings are reaudited within 3 months.

Honest & Fair Business

AstraZeneca has an Ethics helpline and website for reporting violations, allowing anonymous reporting where permitted by local law.

The company supports whistleblowers confidentially and states it does not tolerate retaliation. However, there is no evidence of independent investigation processes for these reports. The company also has an Anti-bribery and anti-corruption Global Standard, which includes third-party risk management, due diligence processes, monitoring, and audit programs to prevent bribery and corruption.

Kind to Animals

AstraZeneca used 205,757 animals in testing in 2024, an increase from 182,458 in 2023 and 154,180 in 2022.

Over 97% of animals used were rodents or fish, with dogs and non-human primates making up less than 1%. The company has a global standard for animal use, applying the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement), and prohibits the use of Great Apes or wild-caught primates. Its Bioethics Policy states that all animal research must be justified, apply 3Rs, and prioritize animal welfare. AstraZeneca is investing in non-animal alternative models (NAMs) such as advanced cell models, organoids, 'organ-on-chip' microphysiological systems, computer modeling, and AI, and is transitioning to synthetic alternatives for Bacterial Endotoxin Testing. It collaborates with the Wyss Institute on Organs-on-Chips and works with other pharmaceutical companies to accelerate NAM adoption. The company is a signatory to the Concordat on Openness in Animal Research in the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and contributes to the U.S. Animal Research Openness Initiative. AstraZeneca supports the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. It has committed to a $400 million investment in reforestation and biodiversity, and starting in 2024, will invest up to $5 million annually in nature and water stewardship projects. The AZ Forest program has planted over 260 species in Australia. AstraZeneca audited 59 high-risk suppliers in 2024, up from 47 in 2023 and 42 in 2022. The company uses palm oil derivatives as excipients, representing less than 0.001% of global demand. AstraZeneca prefers to use facilities accredited by AAALAC International wherever possible.

No War, No Weapons

AstraZeneca reported $576 million in contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense in fiscal year 2022.

This represents approximately 1.06% of its total revenue of $54.1 billion in 2024, falling under minor defense contracts. The company's Russian subsidiary sales rose 30% to £838.8 million in 2024, despite the war in Ukraine and associated sanctions, indicating regular sales to a sanctioned regime. AstraZeneca's total community investment in 2024 was $126.7 million, which is approximately 0.23% of its $54.1 billion revenue, with no specific allocation to peacebuilding or disarmament initiatives. The company does not have a stated conflict-zone divestment policy for its operations and continues to profit from sales in Russia. Human rights due diligence is conducted every 2-3 years in high-risk zones. AstraZeneca states no conflict minerals were found in its 2023 product portfolio and requires 100% of its materials to be certified conflict-free with continuous verification. The company acknowledges the importance of minerals from conflict-affected areas and does not ban sourcing, but will suspend or discontinue suppliers with reasonable risk of sourcing from parties committing serious human rights abuses.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

AstraZeneca funded 928 non-profit organizations in 2024 and reported over 1,000 collaborations worldwide.

The company has not reported any cultural appropriation incidents. Grievance mechanisms are available for communities, shareholders, employees, workers, and customers, with the AZ Ethics helpline and website accessible to third parties. In FY 2022-23, 0.73% of input material was sourced directly from within the district and neighboring districts. The company signed up to a program to increase procurement spending with Indigenous suppliers in Australia, and launched supplier diversity programs in 21 countries in 2024, but the number of indigenous or minority-owned suppliers engaged is not specified. The Healthy Minds app provides mental health and wellbeing support in 24 languages. In 2024, 100% of active employees, including the Senior Executive Team, completed mandatory annual training on the Code of Ethics. Total community investment was $126.78 million in 2024, against a total revenue of $54,073 million, which is approximately 0.23% of revenue.

Safe & Smart Tech

AstraZeneca experienced a data exposure in 2021 where internal server credentials and some patient data were left on GitHub for over a year due to user error.

The company cut off access after being informed. AstraZeneca has implemented an AI Governance Framework, Risk Framework, and Playbook to guide AI development and use. The company aims for explainability and transparency in its AI systems, including documentation of algorithms and assumptions. Users have rights to access, correct, delete, and object to data processing, as well as data portability. AstraZeneca aims to collect only necessary data and limit retention periods, and states a commitment to privacy by design. The company acknowledges emerging regulations and aims to comply with global privacy regulations and local laws, including obtaining approvals for Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) from EU and UK data protection authorities. AstraZeneca seeks to work with regulators and partners to shape a sustainable environment for responsible AI.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

AstraZeneca has a target to reduce overall waste by 20% by the end of 2025 from a 2015 baseline.

The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including a 90-95% liquid helium recycling rate at its Gothenburg site, an 80% reduction in landfill waste from silica at its Coppell site, and 5 GWh annual savings from heat recovery at Södertälje since 2023. Other initiatives include Turbuhaler plastic recycling in 19 Swedish pharmacies, trials for mono-polypropylene blister packaging, and a wastewater treatment plant for silica reuse. No waste disposal violations, fines, or compliance issues were mentioned in the provided articles.