Important information for readers of this Annual Report and Cautionary Statement

Inclusion of Reported performance, Core financial measures and constant exchange rate growth rates

For more information in relation to the inclusion of Reported performance, Core financial measures and constant exchange rate (CER) growth rates as used in AstraZeneca’s Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2016 (this Annual Report), please see the Financial Review on page 64 of the downloadable PDF of this Annual Report.

AstraZeneca’s determination of non-GAAP measures together with our presentation of them within our financial information may differ from similarly titled non-GAAP measures of other companies.

Definitions

The Glossary and the Market definitions table from page 239 of the downloadable PDF of this Annual Report are intended to provide a useful guide to terms and AstraZeneca’s definitions of markets, as well as to acronyms and abbreviations, used in this Annual Report.

Use of terms

In this Annual Report, unless the context otherwise requires, ‘AstraZeneca’, ‘the Group’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refer to AstraZeneca PLC and its consolidated entities.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

The purpose of this Annual Report is to provide information to the members of the Company. The Company and its Directors, employees, agents and advisers do not accept or assume responsibility to any other person to whom this Annual Report is shown or into whose hands it may come and any such responsibility or liability is expressly disclaimed. In order, among other things, to utilise the ‘safe harbour’ provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the UK Companies Act 2006, we are providing the following cautionary statement: This Annual Report contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the operations, performance and financial condition of the Group, including, among other things, statements about expected revenues, margins, earnings per share or other financial or other measures. Forward-looking statements are statements relating to the future which are based on information available at the time such statements are made, including information relating to risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are based on reasonable assumptions, the matters discussed in the forward-looking statements may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these statements. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of the preparation of this Annual Report and the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. We identify the forward-looking statements by using the words ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘expects’, ‘intends’ and similar expressions in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, certain of which are beyond our control, include, among other things, those factors identified in the Risk section from page 214 of the downloadable PDF of this Annual Report. Nothing in this Annual Report should be construed as a profit forecast.

Statements of competitive position, growth rates and sales

In this Annual Report, except as otherwise stated, market information regarding the position of our business or products relative to its or their competition is based upon published statistical sales data for the 12 months ended 30 September 2016 obtained from IMS Health, a leading supplier of statistical data to the pharmaceutical industry. Unless otherwise noted, for the US, dispensed new or total prescription data and audited sales data are taken, respectively, from IMS Health National Prescription Audit and IMS National Sales Perspectives for the 12 months ended 31 December 2016; such data is not adjusted for Medicaid and similar rebates. Except as otherwise stated, these market share and industry data from IMS Health have been derived by comparing our sales revenue with competitors’ and total market sales revenues for that period, and except as otherwise stated, growth rates are given at CER. For the purposes of this Annual Report, unless otherwise stated, references to the world pharmaceutical market or similar phrases are to the 54 countries contained in the IMS Health database, which amounted to approximately 96% (in value) of the countries audited by IMS Health.

AstraZeneca websites

Information elsewhere on or accessible through our websites, including www.astrazeneca.com, www.astrazenecaclinicaltrials.com and www.medimmune.com, does not form part of and is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

External/third party websites

Information on or accessible through any third party or external website does not form part of and is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

Figures

Figures in parentheses in tables and in the Financial Statements are used to represent negative numbers.

Directors’ Report

The following sections make up the Directors’ Report, which has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006:

  • Chief Executive Officer’s Review
  • Therapy Area Review
  • Business Review
  • Resources Review: including Employees
  • Financial Review: Financial risk management
  • Corporate Governance: including the Audit Committee Report and Corporate Governance Report
  • Directors’ Responsibility Statement
  • Development Pipeline
  • Sustainability: supplementary information
  • Shareholder Information
  • Corporate Information

Strategic Report

The following sections make up the Strategic Report, which has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006:

  • AstraZeneca at a glance
  • Chief Executive Officer’s Review
  • Strategy: including Risk overview
  • Therapy Area Review
  • Business Review
  • Resources Review
  • Financial Review