astrazeneca

AstraZeneca is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, UK. It specializes in innovative medicines across major disease areas including oncology, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, respiratory, and inflammation. Founded in 1999 through the merger of Astra AB (Sweden) and Zeneca Group (UK), it is among the world's largest pharmaceutical companies with a diverse product portfolio and significant global presence. AstraZeneca also played a notable role in COVID-19 vaccine development with its Vaxzevria vaccine. The company has a history of strategic acquisitions and collaborations to strengthen its drug pipeline and research capabilities. Recently, AstraZeneca reached an agreement with the Trump administration to offer lower drug prices for Medicaid and direct consumer sales in the US, with discounts up to 80% for certain drugs, as part of the TrumpRx initiative to reduce medication costs in America. Key AstraZeneca products include Nexium (esomeprazole), popular in gastroenterology, and various treatments in respiratory, oncology, and cardiovascular areas among others. The company invests heavily in research and development, with major centers in the UK, Sweden, and the US.