AstraZeneca Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2008

Disease area strategies

Our disease area strategies are established using a regular review process that centres on the evaluation of research opportunities against a set of consistent criteria, including unmet medical need, commercial and scientific opportunity, competitive position and alignment with our capabilities. Our R&D Executive Committee uses the reviews to determine the levels of investment we will make in different disease areas. The process also enables us to deploy our resources in the best way to meet our commercial and scientific objectives.

Our New Opportunities Team, operating from pre-clinical through development, generates more value from disease mechanisms and compounds through both internal efforts and external alliances with the aim to transform them into profitable, innovative therapies. In addition, the New Opportunities Team will consider a broad range of pre-clinical to late stage development opportunities. This includes identification of compounds that help address side effects and complications in disease areas we have prioritised, and of opportunities that enable rapid entry into breaking new disease areas via strategic alliances, in order to provide additional assets for our pipeline and the delivery of profitable growth.