AstraZeneca Becomes Major Sponsor of Shanghai Expo UK Pavilion

AstraZeneca China has agreed to become a major sponsor of the UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010. AstraZeneca’s sponsorship will amount to £500,000 and will directly support the design, development and staging of the British pavilion.
As the leading ethical pharmaceutical company in China, and with headquarters in Shanghai, support for Shanghai Expo 2010 reflects AstraZeneca’s commitment to being a valued member of the Shanghai business community and a committed partner in improving the health of Chinese citizens through science and innovation. The theme of Shanghai Expo 2010 is Better City, Better Life. Through its sponsorship of the British pavilion, AstraZeneca is keen to explore the role that health plays in providing a better life for the citizens of today and tomorrow. Even before Expo 2010 begins, AstraZeneca will run a series of public health related events in Shanghai, beginning in 2008 through to Expo, supporting the Better City, Better Life theme.

David Brennan, CEO of AstraZeneca, said, “We believe Shanghai Expo 2010 provides an opportunity to showcase and build public awareness and greater understanding of the importance of science and innovation in improving public health. Participation in Expo through sponsorship of the British pavilion demonstrates our commitment as a leading innovative global pharmaceutical company to supporting the Chinese, British and Shanghai governments in this important and historic event. With the Chinese government’s focus on science, innovation, technology and the harmonious society the theme of Better City, Better Life for the Expo seems very relevant for a leading healthcare company such as ours.”

For the UK government, John Dennis, Expo Project Director, said, “We are delighted that AstraZeneca has joined as a leading sponsor in supporting the UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010. The UK is the leading European trading partner with China and the UK government is proud and committed to the very strong relationship it has throughout China. The success of innovative research-based companies such as AstraZeneca in China and their continued commitment to further investment is an excellent example for both UK and Chinese companies. Our desire for an attractive, interesting and highly impactful pavilion which showcases the very best in UK science and innovation fits very well with the Expo theme and AstraZeneca’s research and development driven business model.”

AstraZeneca’s investments in China include a $100m discovery research and translational science centre being established in Shanghai; $150m investments in manufacturing operations in Wuxi, Jiangsu province; and a series of Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes, such as the 2007 Special Olympics and the upcoming Philadelphia Orchestra 2008 Tour of Asia.

AstraZeneca China was the leading pharmaceutical company (ranked 16th) in the 2007 Southern Weekend Global Top 500 Reputation survey and was also ranked second of all multinational companies in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.

About AstraZeneca China
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in research, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and supplier for healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of US $26.47billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection product sales. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

AstraZeneca China has its headquarters in Shanghai, with 25 branch offices in major cities across China’s mainland. It has nearly 3,000 employees working for the sectors of manufacturing, sales, clinical research and new products development. The manufacturing plant located in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, is AstraZeneca’s biggest production base in Asia with an investment of US$150 million. In May 2006, AstraZeneca announced to invest US$100 million to establish its R&D base in Shanghai, the AstraZeneca Innovation Centre China (ICC).

For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

January 21, 2008


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