COLLABORATION WITH DAIICHI SANKYO INC

ASTRAZENECA AND DAIICHI SANKYO TO JOINTLY COMMERCIALISE MOVANTIK IN THE US

AstraZeneca today announced a co-commercialisation agreement with Daiichi
Sankyo, Inc. for MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) in the US, in line with the Company's
strategy of delivering value through its own development and commercial
capabilities as well as through external collaboration. MOVANTIK is a first-in
-class once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist
(PAMORA) for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with
chronic non-cancer pain.

MOVANTIK was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2014.
It was descheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2015 and
is no longer labelled as a controlled substance. The launch of MOVANTIK in the
US is planned for early April 2015.

Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo Inc. will pay a $200 million up
-front fee and subsequent sales-related payments of up to $625 million.
AstraZeneca will be responsible for manufacturing, will book all sales and will
make sales-related commission payments to Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Both companies
will be jointly responsible for commercial activities. AstraZeneca's 2015
financial guidance, provided on 6 March 2015, is unaffected by today's
announcement.

Paul Hudson, President, AstraZeneca US and Executive Vice President, North
America, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Daiichi Sankyo to expand
our commercialisation efforts in the US in order to get this important medicine
to the large number of patients suffering with opioid-induced constipation. Our
agreement reflects our evolving business model by creating value from our
portfolio through externalisation activity. Together, we will grow the potential
of this important treatment, while we retain our significant interest in the
long-term commercial success of MOVANTIK in our largest market."

Ken Keller, President, US Commercial, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., said: "We are proud
to bring our proven primary care and specialty expertise to this collaboration
with AstraZeneca. MOVANTIK represents an opportunity to help patients manage one
of the most common conditions arising from widely used pain medications, as well
as an opportunity to continue to build the Daiichi Sankyo US portfolio of
medicines in this therapeutic area."

The agreement is in line with AstraZeneca's business model, which includes value
creation from the strong science underpinning its pipeline and portfolio through
externalisation activity. This approach aims to benefit patients by
collaborating with subject matter experts that can help us to bring important
treatments to market while delivering revenue.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) tablets
MOVANTIK (naloxegol) tablets is the first FDA approved once-daily oral PAMORA
specifically designed for the treatment of OIC in adult patients with chronic
non-cancer pain. In the Phase III clinical studies, MOVANTIK was administered as
a once-daily tablet and was designed to block the binding of opioids to opioid
receptors, in tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract.

MOVENTIG® (naloxegol) also received Marketing Authorisation from the European
Commission in December 2014 for the treatment of OIC in adult patients who have
had an inadequate response to laxative(s).

MOVANTIK/MOVENTIG is part of the exclusive worldwide license agreement announced
in 2009 between AstraZeneca and Nektar Therapeutics. It was developed using
Nektar's oral small-molecule polymer conjugate technology.

About OIC
OIC is a condition caused by prescription opioid pain medicines. Millions of
patients are treated with opioids each year. Opioids play an important role in
chronic pain relief and work by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous
system, but they can also bind to mu-receptors in the bowel, which can result in
patients suffering from OIC. The incidence of OIC in patients with chronic pain
varies and has been suggested to be as high as 81%.

About Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative
pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of
patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its portfolio of
marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension, dyslipidemia and bacterial infections
used by patients around the world, the Group has also launched treatments for
thrombotic disorders and is building new product franchises. Furthermore,
Daiichi Sankyo research and development is focused on bringing forth novel
therapies in oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic diseases, including
biologics. The Daiichi Sankyo Group has created a 'Hybrid Business Model' to
respond to market and customer diversity and optimize growth opportunities
across the value chain. For more information, please visit:
www.daiichisankyo.com. Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New
Jersey, is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. For more information on Daiichi
Sankyo, Inc., please visit www.dsi.com.

About AstraZeneca in Neuroscience
A significant unmet medical need remains in the areas of cognitive disorders,
chronic pain, and other central nervous system disorders. With a rich heritage
and a research and development focus on specific aspects of neurodegenerative
diseases, analgesia and psychiatry, AstraZeneca continues to push the boundaries
of science in neuroscience in collaboration with others across industry and
academia. Notably, in September 2014, AstraZeneca announced an alliance with Eli
Lilly for the joint development of AZD3293/LY3314814, an oral beta secretase
cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's
disease, which is currently being studied in a pivotal Phase II/III trial.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that
focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription
medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic,
respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience
diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative
medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information
please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.

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19 March 2015

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