GBM3ARW Academic Research and Writing for Global Business Management

Executive Summary

AstraZeneca PLC is evaluated based on its alignment with two key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). This research considers the activities and strategies of the company as well as evidence to examine the effectiveness in meeting those global targets.  SDG 3 programs such as Healthy Heart Africa, and AZ&Me Prescription Savings Program have placed AstraZeneca on track concerning SDG 3. Healthy Heart Africa tackles non-communicable diseases in parts of underserved communities, while AZ&Me offers low-cost drugs. Because it is not affordable to many people and limited in scope around the world, its impact is not greater. On the other hand, SDG 13 can be measured by the strong progress in direct emissions reductions and conversion to renewable energy through AstraZeneca’s Ambition Zero Carbon initiative. The sustainability gaps in the supply chain remain. Ultimately, the report provides recommendations on increasing affordability, enhancing health programs, and improving supply chain sustainability. These will further consolidate AstraZeneca as a world leader in sustainable health care and climate action.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Method 3

Results 4

Discussion 5

Conclusion, Limitations, and Recommendations 6

References 7

Introduction

AstraZeneca PLC is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company focusing on drug discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines primarily in oncology, cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory diseases. Innovation is a collective effort at AstraZeneca to meet some of the key unmet health needs in the world with balances between the challenges of the enterprise and the responsibilities of the enterprise towards wider society (Aoki, 2024).

The core objective of this report, which was privileged to research the implementation of some selected points in the endeavours of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by AstraZeneca, is to generate some insight on the sustainability practices of the company and into her action toward global health and environmental wellness. The report thus scrutinizes the accomplishments of AstraZeneca in two specific but very significant SDGs-Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). These goals are very significant in ensuring that access to healthcare can be sustainably adapted into practice within efforts against climate change. The assessment of whether or not AstraZeneca meets the SDG criteria will come from pieces of evidence and visuals to nullify ambiguity, and recommendations for improvement of that much are also to be given.

Method

This, according to the United Nations of 2023, is Sustainable Development Goal 3 concerning Good Health and Well-being, defining healthy lives and appropriate schedules for different ages of the people (Vyas-Doorgapersad, 2024). One of the major targets identified is access to essential medicines and healthcare services, for example, reducing mortality from non-communicable diseases. Such an agenda is similar to that of AstraZeneca in the Healthy Heart Africa program, which is meant to provide cardiovascular care to underserved areas in Africa. Still, there are many challenges in broadening access to lower-income markets due to prices and infrastructure problems.

Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) urges all nations and people to undertake urgent efforts to halt climate change and its effects, such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving resource efficiency. As part of its Ambition Zero Carbon program, AstraZeneca has committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its whole value chain by 2045 (Willette, 2024). Much has been achieved, but a considerable amount of criticism has been levelled at it over its slower rate of implementation in the application of sustainable practices in the supply chain, especially in that of third-party providers. The evidence drawn for AstraZeneca’s compliance with these SDGs is from the sustainability reports, public domain information, and evaluations of the third parties. This report would evaluate the level of efforts to arrive at some of the strengths and weaknesses of AstraZeneca in addressing these vital global problems.

Results

The evaluation is somewhat mixed under evaluation about AstraZeneca’s alignment with SDG 3 and SDG 13. AstraZeneca has made very significant contributions to Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), for instance, through Healthy Heart Africa and the AZ&Me Prescription Savings Program, which have provided access to lifesaving medicines to underserved communities. On the other hand, affordability and accessibility gaps within lower-income settings indicate opportunities for further improvement. For Goal 13 (Climate Action), AstraZeneca is well committed, particularly evident through its Ambition Zero Carbon program, which facilitated the 59% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2023. Yet again, the participation of its global supply chain partners in the journey still prevails. The assessment of AstraZeneca’s performance regarding SDG 3 and SDG 13 shows areas of strengths and weaknesses. In SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), there are significant programs that were implemented by AstraZeneca such as Healthy Heart Africa where over 30 million individuals have been screened for hypertension, and thousands of healthcare workers have been trained in underprivileged regions (See et al., 2024). Additionally, programs like the AZ&Me Prescription Savings Program in the US provide free or very low-cost medicines to eligible patients. However, these efforts are scattered, with poor-program area outreach to low-income countries. Affordability issues also persist for patented medicines, leaving access limited for the poorest populations.

Table 1: UN SDG

(Source: Self-created)

Discussion

The findings show that AstraZeneca has good intentions toward both SDG 3 and SDG 13 because there are still some gaps that they need to fill. Regarding SDG 3, the company should be commended because it initiated Healthy Heart Africa, which specifically targeted NCD-related programming. It has led to successful results: over 30 million blood pressure screening tests have been conducted across Africa since 2014. However, the affordability of medicines is the biggest obstacle in income-restricted nations, as the cost of essential medicines may be prohibitive (Napier-Raman et al., 2024). The same would recommend more partnerships with governments and other NGOs to fill this and seek more extensive access to essential health care. On SDG 13, AstraZeneca has created an Ambition Zero Carbon program that talks about how proactive it is against climate change. Some successes earned through this initiative, such as getting to 100% renewable electricity in most of its main markets, demonstrate that commitment. However, using a third-party supplier proves challenging in achieving the same sustainable practices throughout the entire value chain. This gap can be closed through greater emphasis on supplier engagement and monitoring. Visuals such as a graph comparing AstraZeneca’s emissions reduction trajectory against its net-zero target for 2045 would better articulate the progress made. Furthermore, the geographical distribution of initiatives related to health would demonstrate the disproportionate impact on the world (Kuteesa et al., 2024).

The results indicate that AstraZeneca has made commendable strides in attuning itself to both SDG 3 and SDG 13. They still have some distances to cover. For example, on SDG 3, they might consider the company’s Healthy Heart Africa initiative on the NCD-related programming. It has been very successful: since 2014, there have been more than 30 million blood pressure screenings completed all over Africa. However, affordability of medicines is a major obstacle, particularly in lower-income markets, where the price of essential medicines may prohibit purchase. More partnerships with government and NGOs would go a long way in addressing these voids and expanding access to key health care (Dumalanède et al., 2024). On SDG 13, AstraZeneca’s Ambition Zero Carbon program demonstrates how proactive it intends to be against climate change. The program has showcased successes, such as transitioning to 100% renewable electricity in most of its key markets, which demonstrate this commitment. However, third-party supplier reliance makes it difficult to enforce sustainable practices across the entire value chain. There should be a greater emphasis on supplier engagement and monitoring to close this gap. Furthermore, visual information, such as a graph depicting AstraZeneca’s emissions reduction trajectory against its 2045 net-zero goal, would add clarity to this progress. Additionally, a geographical breakdown of its health initiatives would reveal disparities in the global impact (Prust et al., 2024).

Conclusion, Limitations, and Recommendations

Ultimately, AstraZeneca shows a great match with SDG 3 and SDG 13 by making impactful health programs and ambitious climate commitments. However, there are some limits regarding the affordability of medicines and the consistent sustainability of its supply chain.

This analysis relies solely on publicly available data, which may have neglected to include some of the most concerning internal problems or proprietary strategies. In addition, it focuses on only two SDGs, and therefore cannot be comprehensive about all that AstraZeneca does for sustainability (Zec, 2024).

For example, AstraZeneca could launch pricing initiatives in collaboration with governments and NGOs to bring medicines closer to vulnerable communities in countries where they operate (Sideri, 2024). And it needs to strengthen the supply chain management to ensure that third-party vendors adopt sustainable practices uniformly across their operations. These will improve the SDG performances of AstraZeneca and also put it in a better position as a leader in sustainable and equitable health care.

References

Aoki, T., 2024. How Pharmaceutical Companies Utilize Platform Strategy: A Study of the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Development (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Dumalanède, C., Ciambotti, G. and Lashitew, A.A., 2024. Addressing Health Care Inequality Through Social Franchising: The Role of Network Stewardship in Impact Intermediation. Business & Society, p.00076503241255479.

Kuteesa, K.N., Akpuokwe, C.U. and Udeh, C.A., 2024. Financing models for global health initiatives: lessons from maternal and gender equality programs. International Medical Science Research Journal, 4(4), pp.470-483.

Napier-Raman, S., Hossain, S.Z., Mpofu, E., Lee, M.J., Liamputtong, P. and Dune, T., 2024. Abortion Experiences and Perspectives Amongst Migrants and Refugees: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3), p.312.

Prust, M.L., Forman, R. and Ovbiagele, B., 2024. Addressing disparities in the global epidemiology of stroke. Nature Reviews Neurology, 20(4), pp.207-221.

See, C., Hegde, K., Reid, L., Shi, R., Luthra, R., Dong, W., Lee, V. and Kang-Giaimo, A., 2024. Peer Reviewed: The Cost of Medications at a Student-Run Free Clinic in New Haven, Connecticut, 2021–2023. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21.

Sideri, K., 2024. mRNA vaccine politics: responsible governance coordination for vaccine innovation in times of urgency. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 11(1), p.2425121.

Vyas-Doorgapersad, S., 2024. Understanding employee wellness for improved performance and achieving sustainable development goal 3. International Journal of Religion, 5(11), pp.2889-2899.

Willette, D., 2024. Paths to Achieving Scope 1 Carbon Neutrality in Building Utilities (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Zec, D.N., 2024. Media framing of sustainability: The case of British pharmaceutical companies (2000–2020). Sustainable Development.