AstraZeneca Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2008

Further information

In December 2007, we filed patent infringement actions against seven generic drug manufacturers in the US following receipt of notices of their intent to market generic copies of Crestor before the 2016 expiry of our licensed patent covering the active ingredient in Crestor. In July 2008, we filed a patent infringement action against Teva Pharmaceuticals in the US following receipt of its notice of its intent to market generic copies of Crestor before the 2016 expiry of our licensed patent covering the active ingredient in Crestor. These eight cases are proceeding as a consolidated action in US District Court, District of Delaware.

Also in the US, Teva Pharmaceuticals (Teva’s Israeli parent company) filed a patent infringement lawsuit concerning Crestor on 6 October 2008. Teva alleges that Crestor tablets infringe a recently re-issued Teva US patent that claims stabilised pharmaceutical compounds.

AstraZeneca has full confidence in its Crestor product and the intellectual property protecting it, and will vigorously defend and enforce it.

Further information is set out in Note 25 to the Financial Statements.