AstraZeneca Makes FORTUNE's 2008 '100 Best Companies to Work For' List for Third...

AstraZeneca Makes FORTUNE's 2008 '100 Best Companies to Work For' List for
Third Time
Recognition of company policies and culture just one of several recent AZ
honors for commitment to employee wellness and progressive workplace policies

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AstraZeneca
(NYSE: AZN) has been named to FORTUNE magazine's list of the "100 Best
Companies to Work For" list for the third time since 2004. The company is
ranked 83rd overall and was specifically cited for its on-site wellness
programs, fitness center and other amenities, as well as its childcare center.
AstraZeneca was one of 1,500 companies invited to participate in the
selection process this year. The "100 Best Companies to Work For" list is
compiled for FORTUNE by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco,
based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each
company, and the opinions of the company's employees.
Two-thirds of the total score comes from employee responses to a
57-question survey, which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected
employees. The survey asks about attitudes towards management, job
satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization. The remainder of the
score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and
benefits programs, training recognition programs, diversity efforts, and
overall culture.
"We continually strive to make AstraZeneca a great place to work -- a
place where job satisfaction is high and individual talents flourish," said
Tony Zook, president and CEO, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, U.S.
"Ultimately, that helps us attract and retain the kind of workforce needed to
create innovative solutions that improve patient health. We're proud to
receive this recognition from FORTUNE."
The FORTUNE recognition was just one of three awards received by
AstraZeneca this month -- including reaccreditation by the CEO Roundtable on
Cancer with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM), and an addition to Men's Fitness
magazine's list of the 15 Fittest Companies in America.
CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM) Reaccreditation
The CEO Gold Standard(TM) was created by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a
nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by cancer-fighter CEOs in response to
the former President George H. W. Bush's challenge that they be "bold and
venturesome" in the fight against this disease. AstraZeneca's reaccreditation
recognizes the company's significant commitment to helping employees and their
families with cancer prevention, early detection, and access to quality care.
In addition, the partnership offers employers a comprehensive approach to
fighting cancer by focusing on three goals: risk reduction through lifestyle
change, early detection, and quality care. AstraZeneca is one of 18
accredited companies and received its initial accreditation in 2006.
As part of its broader commitment to fostering a progressive workplace
environment, AstraZeneca has implemented a number of programs designed to
enable employees to maintain their commitments inside and outside of work --
including flexible work arrangements, employee network groups and multiple
healthy workplace options.
Men's Fitness Magazine Recognition
AstraZeneca was named one of the 15 fittest Companies in America by Men's
Fitness because the company "walk[s] their talk when it comes to making sure
that employees are healthy and happy," according to the magazine's publishers.
"[We] selected these companies based on [employee] access to state-of-the-art
gym and fitness facilities, cafeterias with menus with health and nutrition in
mind, preventative medical care, programs for losing weight and quitting
smoking, and rewards for staying in shape."
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the
research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription
pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the
world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47
billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,
neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is
listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good
Index. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare
business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades,
AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its
medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in
savings to more than 1 million patients throughout the US and Puerto Rico.
AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers"
by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical company named
to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2007,
for the sixth consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top
Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical
employers.
For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit:
www.astrazeneca-us.com.
SOURCE AstraZeneca

Leah Smith, +1-302-885-4675, leah.smith@astrazeneca.com, or Tim Christmann,
+1-302-885-4067, timothy.christmann@astrazeneca.com, both of AstraZeneca