New AstraZeneca awards program recognizes, supports future leaders in neurology and psychiatry

Future leaders in neurology and psychiatry calling all young minds for application submissions

12 February 2001 -- AstraZeneca PLC announced today the creation of the AstraZeneca Young Minds in CNS Awards Program to recognize and promote promising work from young physicians working in the central nervous system (CNS) therapeutic area.

�AstraZeneca wants to improve treatment of the central nervous system diseases. A key initiative for achieving this goal is to foster innovation through the support of those most in need of funding � young clinicians and researchers,� said Ron Polinsky, M.D., Vice President, Global CNS Medical Director, AstraZeneca. �Through the Young Minds in CNS Awards Program we will create partnerships with neurologists and psychiatrists to enhance effectiveness of disease management and ultimately to help patients enjoy a better life.�

AstraZeneca�s Young Minds in CNS Awards Program will award five USD $20,000 unrestricted career development awards. Award proposals (which can cover a range of activities including research, educational efforts, travel, salary support and materials) must demonstrate how winning a Young Minds in CNS Award will advance the applicant�s career. The awards will be made in the following categories:

� Bipolar Disorder/Mania
� Depression
� Migraine
� Schizophrenia
� Stroke (acute)

Award recipients will also be sponsored by AstraZeneca to attend the awards reception (at either the American Psychiatry Association or the American Association of Neurology congress) plus an additional international CNS-related medical meeting in the USA or Europe in 2002.

An independent steering committee representing distinguished experts in the CNS field was formed to develop the Young Minds in CNS Awards Program. As part of their commitment to this program, the steering committee will also review award applications and recommend those to be funded.

�These awards will enable young physicians to refine their skills and expand their knowledge base helping them to further their career development,� said Ron Polinsky, M.D., Vice President, Global CNS Medical Director, AstraZeneca. �Importantly these awards will look to fund innovative opportunities for education that would otherwise not be funded.�

Applications are available through the AstraZeneca corporate Web site at http://www.astrazeneca.com/youngminds/.

AstraZeneca PLC is a world-leading pharmaceutical business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anaesthesia including pain management, cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products.

In CNS, AstraZeneca is dedicated to providing innovative medicines for the treatment of diseases where there is high unmet medical need. The company already markets drugs for the treatment of migraine (ZOMIG�) and schizophrenia (SEROQUEL�), and has an industry-leading R&D pipeline of several novel pharmacological approaches for the treatment of acute stroke, depression and anxiety and other key disease areas.