AstraZeneca

On April 6, 1999, Astra AB of Sweden and Zeneca Group PLC of the UK announced a merger to form AstraZeneca PLC. This merger combined Astra's expertise in the fields of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular medicines with Zeneca's work in oncology and specialty treatments. It positioned AstraZeneca as one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, with a focus on developing innovative medicines to meet significant unmet medical needs.

In February 2007, AstraZeneca announced its acquisition of MedImmune, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of vaccines, for approximately $15.6 billion. This strategic move was meant to enhance AstraZeneca's expertise and product offerings in biologics and vaccines, aligning with their strategic goal to grow in the biologics sector and solidify their position in the pharmaceutical market.

On June 19, 2012, AstraZeneca appointed Pascal Soriot as its new Chief Executive Officer. He was previously the COO of Roche's pharmaceutical division. Soriot's leadership marked a significant turning point for AstraZeneca, as he introduced a bold strategy to rejuvenate the company by investing heavily in research and development, realigning focus areas, and picking up momentum for the drug pipeline, which was considered to be stagnating at the time.

In March 2013, AstraZeneca embarked on a significant strategic restructuring, including a major investment in its research and development capabilities, specifically within the Cambridge hub in the UK. This involved a significant shift in the company's geographical focus, as they planned to move their headquarters to Cambridge, thereby fostering collaboration and innovation in the heart of Europe's life sciences sector.

In May 2014, Pfizer launched a bid to acquire AstraZeneca for approximately £69.4 billion ($118 billion), which was rejected by AstraZeneca's board. The unsolicited bid was one of the biggest ever attempted in the pharmaceutical industry, causing significant scrutiny, political debate, and market reactions due to AstraZeneca's strategic importance to the UK economy and its role in the life sciences sector.

In October 2016, AstraZeneca launched Lynparza, a groundbreaking cancer treatment following collaboration with Merck & Co. Lynparza is a PARP inhibitor used to treat certain types of ovarian cancer, particularly in patients with BRCA mutations. The drug represented a major advancement in targeted cancer therapies, expanding treatment options for those affected by specific genetic cancer profiles.

In April 2020, AstraZeneca collaborated with the University of Oxford to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. This was part of a global effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic urgently. AstraZeneca worked on the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, later named Vaxzevria, which uses a viral vector approach. They entered into agreements to supply hundreds of millions of doses across the world, prioritizing equitable distribution.

On February 15, 2021, AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in the EU. This marked a crucial milestone in the global fight against COVID-19, allowing the vaccine to be distributed across member states and administered to millions of individuals, playing a key role in the public health response.

In March 2021, AstraZeneca completed its acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a company specializing in rare diseases and biological drugs, for $39 billion. This acquisition aligned with AstraZeneca's strategy to diversify and strengthen its capabilities in immunology and rare diseases, expanding their portfolio and growing their global reach with Alexion's range of specialty treatments.

In May 2022, AstraZeneca highlighted its commitment to sustainability with the launch of its 'Ambition Zero Carbon' program, aiming to achieve zero carbon emissions from its global operations by 2025, and to ensure its entire value chain is carbon neutral by 2030. This includes investments in renewable energy, green chemistry technologies, and sustainable transportation solutions to reduce the environmental impact.