AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company formed in 1999 through the merger of Astra AB of Sweden and Zeneca Group PLC of the UK. Its medicines are sold in more than 125 countries, and its shares trade in London, Stockholm and New York.
The group is in focus because of its growth plan. It reported total revenue of $58.7 billion for 2025 and has set an ambition of $80 billion by 2030, with about 20 new medicines expected to launch before then.
Overview and Founding
The Swedish side of the company dates back to 1913, when a group of doctors and apothecaries founded Astra AB in Södertälje. Astra later set up research sites in Gothenburg in 1954 and in Lund in 1955.
The British side grew out of Imperial Chemical Industries, which created ICI Pharmaceuticals in 1957. In 1993 ICI demerged its pharmaceuticals business, which became Zeneca Group PLC.
Both companies had already built a presence abroad before they joined. ICI opened a factory in Macclesfield in 1966 and expanded into the United States in 1972, while Astra agreed in 1982 to work with MSD in the American market. Zeneca set up its first presence in China in 1993.
Astra and Zeneca merged in 1999 to form AstraZeneca. The company keeps its headquarters in the UK and runs major research centres in Cambridge, Gaithersburg, Boston, Gothenburg, Shanghai and Beijing.
Key Milestones
- 1913: Astra AB is founded in Södertälje, Sweden.
- 1993: ICI demerges its pharmaceuticals business to form Zeneca Group PLC.
- 1999: Astra AB and Zeneca PLC merge to create AstraZeneca.
- 2007: AstraZeneca acquires MedImmune, a year after buying Cambridge Antibody Technology.
- 2012: Pascal Soriot becomes chief executive on 1 October.
- 2014: The board rejects a final Pfizer proposal valued at about $119 billion.
- 2020: AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford agree to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
- 2021: The company completes the purchase of Alexion and opens the Discovery Centre in Cambridge.
- 2026: Ordinary shares begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on 2 February.
What It Does
AstraZeneca discovers, develops, makes and sells prescription medicines. Its main areas are oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, respiratory and immunology, infectious disease and rare disease.
Rare disease work is run through Alexion, which AstraZeneca bought in July 2021 for about $13.3 billion in cash plus new shares. The company called the deal its entry into medicines for rare diseases, a field that regulators such as the Saudi Food and Drug Authority are also trying to speed up through dedicated approval programs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the company made the vaccine developed with Oxford. About 3 billion doses had been delivered to more than 180 countries by June 2022, first at no profit and later mostly at cost.
Its 2025 results showed core earnings per share of $9.16, and the company counted 43 regulatory approvals in major regions over the previous twelve months. Since February 2026 its ordinary shares have also traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker AZN, replacing an earlier Nasdaq listing of depositary shares.
In 2023 it launched Evinova, a health technology business. In 2025 it announced a $2.5 billion research centre in Beijing and plans to invest $50 billion in medicines manufacturing and research in the United States by 2030.
Its staff also take part in regional health events. A director for commercial IT and digital at AstraZeneca spoke at a health technology session covered in our report on why AI, gaming and blockchain came to Riyadh.
In Numbers
- Total revenue: $58.7 billion (2025)
- Product sales: $55.6 billion (2025)
- Investment in science: $14.2 billion (2025)
- Employees: 96,100 (Annual Report 2025)
- Revenue ambition: $80 billion by 2030 (set in May 2024)
- Countries where its medicines are sold: more than 125 (2026)
Leadership
The company is led by Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Pascal Soriot, who has held the post since October 2012.
Michel Demaré is Non-Executive Chair of the Board, and Aradhana Sarin is Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
Marc Dunoyer serves as Chief Executive Officer of Alexion and Chief Strategy Officer of AstraZeneca. The oncology business is headed by David Fredrickson, Executive Vice-President, Oncology Business Unit.
