Research and Development
Research & Development is the lifeblood of our business. The epicenter around which everything else revolves.
The world population has doubled in the last 50 years from three billion to six billion. By 2050, it's expected to reach nine billion. The medical need is great. But at AstraZeneca, we are there, meeting today's needs. Exploring solutions. Poised to conquer the challenges of the future. At the heart of our unwavering commitment to breakthrough prescription biopharmaceuticals: R&D.
Our 12,000 scientists are united across three continents by a common goal: to get effective new medicines to those who need them as quickly and safely as possible. We have R&D centres of excellence in the US, UK, Canada and Sweden and we are building our R&D presence in emerging markets so that we can understand and respond quickly to unmet patient needs in these regions.
Our dedication is even evident in our expenditures: each year, we invest on average over $4 billion, focusing on six therapy areas where we believe our skills and resources can have the greatest impact. These areas together represent a major worldwide burden of disease: Cancer, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, Infection, Neuroscience and Respiratory & Inflammation.
Refining, clarifying, sharpening our focus.
Early this year, we began the process of refining our disease area priorities and are committed to investing significantly in developing or strengthening critical capabilities. To improve efficiency, we are moving from a highly "fixed cost" to a more "flexible" approach. We announced a new operating model for R&D, with the formation of eight I-Med units and a new Global Medicines Development organization. We also established the Portfolio Investment Board (PIB) to bring greater clarity to our R&D investment decisions. And we will be increasing our focus on external collaboration – whether that's collaboration with payers or with industry and academic partners – to access the best science. Lastly, we are building a culture characterized by courageous leadership, creativity and collaboration as the foundation to everything we do.
A President of R&D has been appointed to provide a single point of senior accountability for all research and development activities – large molecules, small molecules and vaccines, and all external alliances and collaborations – as we continue to make the changes necessary to improve the productivity and efficiency of our pipeline. This new role will also help speed up decision-making and the allocation of resources across the entire portfolio, with a focus on the best opportunities for scientific and commercial success.
Click Here to hear from our R&D President, Martin Mackay at AstraZeneca, discuss R&D progress.
Our Commitment to innovation goes beyond research and development. You’ll find it in every part of our business. We invite you to explore further with the links below. There is much to discover – not the least of which is the opportunity for you to build an incredibly rewarding career.
