DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES FOR, AND REPORT ON, INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
The Directors are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. AstraZeneca’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance over the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Due to its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
The Directors assessed the effectiveness of AstraZeneca’s internal control over financial reporting as at 31 December 2007 based on the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on this assessment, the Directors believe that, as at 31 December 2007, the internal control over financial reporting is effective based on those criteria.
KPMG Audit Plc, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as at 31 December 2007 and, as explained in the Auditor's Report on Financial Control over Financial Reporting (Sarbanes-Oxley Act section 404), has issued an unqualified report thereon.
