AstraZeneca

Article summary

AstraZeneca plc ( ) (AZ) is a Swedish–British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas including oncology, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, respiratory, and inflammation. The company was founded in 1999 through the merger of the Swedish Astra AB and the British Zeneca Group (itself formed by the demerger of the pharmaceutical operations of Imperial Chemical Industries in 1993). Zeneca shareholders received 53.5% of the shares, while Astra shareholders received the remaining 46.5%. Its portfolio includes primary and speciality care, coverage for rare diseases, and a robust global presence across various regions. Since the merger it has been among the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and has made numerous corporate acquisitions, including Cambridge Antibody Technology (in 2006), MedImmune (in 2007), Spirogen (in 2013) and Definiens (by MedImmune in 2014). It has its research and development concentrated in three strategic centres: Cambridge, England; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Gaithersburg, Maryland, US. AstraZeneca traces its earliest corporate history to 1913, when Astra AB was formed by a large group of doctors and apothecaries in Södertälje.…

Key claims

1. date of formation: 1993 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of formation: 2004 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of foundation: 1999 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of foundation: 1913 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. date of foundation: 1913 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of formation is "1993". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of formation is "2004". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of foundation is "1999". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of foundation is "1913". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the date of foundation is "1913". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
8. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378907290