Sub-theme: Pharmaceutical therapies
AstraZeneca is a high-quality pharma company with a strong portfolio of commercial products that lead to better overall health outcomes for patients, who are often suffering from life-threatening or debilitating illness. The company's products treat a broad range of issues and target areas of high unmet need, particularly in the oncology and rare disease portfolios.
Impact Score: 35%
AstraZeneca has a diverse portfolio of therapies, often treating life threatening or rare diseases. In lung cancer the five year survival rate is only 24%, for example, however this has improved from a mere 5% in c. 2018. This is, in part, thanks to a number of AstraZeneca’s drugs that have received breakthrough designation from the FDA which means that they have shown evidence of substantial improvement in serious conditions.
Fundamental Quality: 74%
The disease areas AstraZeneca focuses on have strong structural growth drivers from ageing populations and lifestyle factors. The company has consistently demonstrated industry-leading returns on R&D investment and the strong pipeline is supportive of future growth. Healthcare access is central within its sustainability policy as seen via affordability programmes in over 20 low- and middle- income countries.
(per £1m invested in this company FY23)
Director independence
Director overboarding
Remuneration - Excessive pay
Remuneration - Sustainability / ESG metrics
- Side-effects from pharmaceuticals
- Product pricing restricts access for poor communities
- Plastic waste from packaging
- Animal testing of pharmaceuticals
