British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been honored with the British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham)’s first-ever 50th Anniversary Recognition award.

Coming as part of celebrations for 50 years of bilateral relations between the UK and Vietnam, the recognition acknowledges the company’s unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability and its profound impact on Vietnam’s healthcare sector.

“As a global biopharmaceutical company with British-Swedish heritage and nearly three decades accompanying Vietnam’s healthcare system, we are driven by a shared purpose to build a healthier future and make a lasting impact through innovation and sustainability,” said Mr. Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director of AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets.

“We are immensely proud to contribute to the UK-Vietnam partnership and will continue to bring advances in Britain’s life sciences industry to create positive change for people in Vietnam.”

The award adds to the extensive list of recognition that AstraZeneca has received in its long-standing collaboration with Vietnam. The company’s contributions to vaccine diplomacy, the fight against Covid-19, and advancements in cancer treatment and disease awareness programs in Vietnam have earned it Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health. AstraZeneca has also been recognized as one of Vietnam’s Top 100 Best Places to Work for four consecutive years.

AstraZeneca was ranked Number 1 in the Invention of Idea Pharma’s 2023 Pharmaceutical Innovation and Invention Index, and has been the leader in terms of industry-sponsored clinical trials in Vietnam.

Of the $360 million that AstraZeneca has committed to invest in Vietnam until 2030, a significant amount has been dedicated to research and development to further strengthen the country’s research capabilities and increase patients’ early access to new medicines. AstraZeneca’s innovative medicines have improved the lives of millions of Vietnamese patients with non-communicable diseases, while its Covid-19 vaccine played an important role in Vietnam’s fight against the pandemic.

In addition, AstraZeneca Vietnam’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its initiatives to promote access to healthcare, protect the environment, and uphold ethics and transparency. As part of the company’s impactful partnerships with the Ministry of Health and healthcare organizations, AstraZeneca has run various community investment programs to promote disease awareness, prevention, and early detection.

In order to support Vietnam’s sustainable development and net-zero strategy, AstraZeneca recently announced a $50 million investment in Vietnam to plant 22.5 million trees over the next five years, as part of the company’s global AZ Forest program. This project will help restore Vietnam’s forests and landscapes, allowing biodiversity to flourish, and provide sustainable livelihoods for over 17,000 smallholder farmers, alongside other co-benefits for the economy, communities, and the environment.