AstraZeneca (AZN) 424B2Prospectus for primary offering

This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of the Notes we are offering and certain other matters relating to us and our results of operations and financial condition. The second part, the attached prospectus, gives more general information about securities we may offer from time to time, some of which does not apply to the Notes we are offering. Generally, when we refer to the prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. If the description of the Notes in the prospectus supplement differs from the description in the attached prospectus, the description in the prospectus supplement supersedes the description in the attached prospectus.

We file annual reports with the SEC on Form 20-F and furnish other information on Form 6-K to the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. These documents are also available on our website at http://www.astrazeneca.com. The contents of our website are not incorporated into, and do not form a part of, this prospectus supplement.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with or furnish to them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update or supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents or sections of documents listed below and any of our future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), until such time as all of the securities covered by this prospectus supplement have been sold:

The completion of the Alexion Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions as set forth in the merger agreement, including, among others, (i) the adoption of the merger agreement by an affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all of the outstanding shares of Alexion common stock entitled to vote at the Alexion special meeting (which occurred on May 11, 2021), (ii) the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by holders of outstanding ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC at a duly convened and held meeting of shareholders of AstraZeneca PLC at which the requisite quorum is present approving the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement (which occurred on May 11, 2021), (iii) approval for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market of the AstraZeneca ADSs (and the ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC represented thereby) to be issued in connection with the transaction, subject to official notice of issuance, (iv) acknowledgement by the FCA of the approval of the application for the admission of ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC represented by the AstraZeneca ADSs to the premium segment of the official list, (v) acknowledgement by the FCA and the London Stock Exchange of the admission of the ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC represented by the AstraZeneca ADSs to the premium segment of the FCA’s official list and to trading on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities, (vi) the expiration or early termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act and the receipt of required approvals or expiration of waiting periods under the antitrust and foreign investment laws of other certain specified jurisdictions, (vii) the approval by the FCA of the shareholder circular and the distribution thereof to shareholders of AstraZeneca PLC in accordance with the FCA’s listing rules and the memorandum and articles of association of AstraZeneca PLC, (viii) the absence of any law, injunction or other order that prohibits or makes illegal the completion of the transaction, (ix) effectiveness of the registration statement for the ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC to be issued in the transaction and of the registration statement on Form F-6 relating to the AstraZeneca ADSs and the absence of any stop order suspending that effectiveness or any proceedings for that purpose pending before the SEC and (x) other customary closing conditions, including the accuracy of each party’s representations and warranties (subject to specified materiality qualifiers), and each party’s material compliance with its covenants and agreements contained in the merger agreement. There can be no assurance as to when these conditions will be satisfied or waived, if at all, or that other events will not intervene to delay or result in the failure to complete the Alexion Acquisition.

No assurance can be given that the required consents, orders and approvals will be obtained or that the required conditions to the completion of the transaction will be satisfied. Even if all such consents, orders and approvals are obtained and such conditions are satisfied, no assurance can be given as to the terms, conditions and timing of such consents, orders and approvals. For example, these consents, orders and approvals may impose conditions on or require divestitures relating to the divisions, operations or assets of AstraZeneca and Alexion or may impose requirements, limitations or costs or place restrictions on the conduct of AstraZeneca’s or Alexion’s business, and if such consents, orders and approvals require an extended period of time to be obtained, such extended period of time could increase the chance that an adverse event occurs with respect to AstraZeneca or Alexion. Such extended period of time also may increase the

AstraZeneca expects to incur a significant amount of additional debt in connection with the Alexion Acquisition, as a result of financing to complete the acquisition, including the offering of the Notes, and to refinance debt assumed in the transaction. This increased level of borrowings could have the effect, among other things, of reducing the combined company’s flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and will have the effect of increasing the combined company’s interest expense. In addition, the amount of cash required to service the combined company’s increased borrowing levels and increased aggregate dividends following consummation of the transaction and thus the demands on the combined company’s cash resources will be greater than the amount of cash flows required to service AstraZeneca’s borrowings and pay dividends prior to the transaction. The increased levels of borrowings and dividends following consummation of the transaction could also reduce funds available for the combined company’s investments in research and development and capital expenditures and other activities and may create competitive disadvantages for the combined company relative to other companies with lower debt levels.

AstraZeneca’s credit rating impacts the cost and availability of future borrowings and, accordingly, AstraZeneca’s cost of capital. AstraZeneca’s credit rating reflects each credit rating organization’s opinion of AstraZeneca’s financial and business strength, operating performance and ability to meet AstraZeneca’s debt obligations. If AstraZeneca’s credit rating is reduced, AstraZeneca may not be able to sell additional debt securities, borrow money, refinance the transaction facilities if drawn or establish alternatives to the transaction facilities in the amounts, at the times or interest rates or upon the more favorable terms and conditions that might be available if AstraZeneca’s current credit rating is maintained. In addition, future

Under the merger agreement, AstraZeneca and its subsidiaries have agreed to certain restrictions on the conduct of its business and generally must operate its businesses in the ordinary course prior to completing the transaction (unless AstraZeneca obtains Alexion’s consent, as applicable, which is not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), which may restrict AstraZeneca’s ability to exercise certain of its business strategies. These restrictions may prevent AstraZeneca from pursuing otherwise attractive business opportunities, making certain investments or acquisitions, selling assets, engaging in capital expenditures in excess of certain agreed limits, continuing share repurchase programs, incurring indebtedness or making changes to AstraZeneca’s business prior to the completion of the transaction or termination of the merger agreement, as applicable. These restrictions could have an adverse effect on AstraZeneca’s business, financial results, financial condition or stock price.

In addition, the merger agreement prohibits AstraZeneca from (i) soliciting, initiating, knowingly facilitating or knowingly encouraging, subject to certain exceptions set forth in the merger agreement, any inquiry or the making or submission of any proposal or offer that constitutes an acquisition proposal (as defined for each party in the merger agreement), (ii) (A) entering into or participating in any discussions or negotiations regarding, (B) furnishing to any third party any information, or (C) otherwise assisting, participating in, knowingly facilitating or knowingly encouraging any third party, in each case, in connection with or for the purpose of knowingly encouraging or facilitating, an acquisition proposal, or (iii) approving, recommending or entering into (or publicly or formally proposing to approve, recommend or enter into), any letter of intent or similar document, agreement, commitment or agreement in principle with respect to an acquisition proposal. AstraZeneca may be required to pay Alexion a termination payment of $1.415 billion if the merger agreement is terminated under the circumstances specified in the merger agreement.

A number of securities or stockholder derivative lawsuits have been brought against Alexion, its Board of Directors, and in some cases, AstraZeneca by individual Alexion stockholders. Such lawsuits are often brought against companies that have entered into merger agreements. Defending against these claims can result in substantial costs and divert management time and resources. Additionally, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting consummation of the transaction, then that injunction may delay or prevent the transaction from being completed. Given the early stage of the existing proceedings, it is not possible to predict the outcome or to estimate possible loss or range of loss.

The combined company may be exposed to increased litigation from stockholders, customers, suppliers, consumers and other third parties due to the combination of AstraZeneca’s business and Alexion’s business following the transaction. Such litigation may have an adverse impact on the combined company’s business and results of operations or may cause disruptions to the combined company’s operations.

Changes in tax regimes, such as those proposed by the new administration in the United States that include raising the corporate tax rate and raising the tax rate on global intangible low-taxed income, could result in a material impact on the cash tax liabilities and tax charge of the AstraZeneca group (which will include Alexion). The AstraZeneca group will have a greater presence in the United States following the acquisition of Alexion than the existing AstraZeneca group which means that these changes could have a

more significant impact. Such an impact could also arise from changes in the application of existing tax rules, such as the UK’s controlled foreign company regime, to the AstraZeneca group as a result of the transaction. In either case, this could result in either an increase or a reduction in financial results depending upon the nature of the change.

may not be able to reinvest the proceeds from a special mandatory redemption in an investment that results in a comparable return.

The AZ Finance 2024 Notes will not be subject to the special mandatory redemption.

As explained below, under certain circumstances we may redeem the AstraZeneca PLC Notes before they mature. This means that we may repay them prior to maturity. If we redeem one series of AstraZeneca

We will notify the trustee of the redemption price of any series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes to be redeemed promptly after the calculation thereof, and the trustee shall have no responsibility for any calculation or determination in respect of the redemption price of any AstraZeneca PLC Notes, or any component thereof, and shall be entitled to receive, and fully protected in relying upon, an officers’ certificate from AstraZeneca PLC that states such redemption price.

The AstraZeneca PLC Notes are subject to the Special Mandatory Redemption described below.

If (i) the consummation of the Alexion Acquisition does not occur on or before March 12, 2022 or (ii) prior to such date, we notify the trustee that we will not pursue the consummation of the Alexion Acquisition (each of (i) and (ii), a “Special Mandatory Redemption Trigger”), we will be required to redeem the AstraZeneca PLC Notes then outstanding (such redemption, the “Special Mandatory Redemption”) at a redemption price equal to 101% of the principal amount of such AstraZeneca PLC Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the Special Mandatory Redemption Date (the “Special Mandatory Redemption Price”).

We may redeem the AZ PLC 2051 Notes, in whole or in part, from time to time as follows: (i) prior to the Par Call Date (as set forth below), at a redemption price equal to the greater of (A) 100% of the principal amount of the AZ PLC 2051 Notes to be redeemed, and (B) as determined by the Quotation Agent, the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the AZ PLC 2051 Notes to be redeemed (assuming for this purpose that the AZ PLC 2051 Notes matured on the applicable Par Call Date and not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate plus the applicable Make-Whole Spread (as set forth below) and (ii) on or after the applicable Par Call Date, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the AZ PLC 2051 Notes to be redeemed, plus, in each case, accrued interest thereon to but excluding the date of redemption.

In connection with such optional redemption, the following defined terms apply:

“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date, (i) the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (ii) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than three such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.

“Make-Whole Spread” means, with respect to (i) the AZ PLC 2023 Notes, 5 basis points and (ii) the AZ PLC 2051 Notes, 15 basis points.

“Par Call Date” means, with respect to the AZ PLC 2051 Notes, November 28, 2050.

“Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means (i) each of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and their respective successors or affiliates; provided, however, that if the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. government securities dealer in New York City (a “primary treasury dealer”), we shall substitute therefor another primary treasury dealer; and (ii) any other primary treasury dealer selected by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Quotation Agent by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 3:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such redemption date.

In the event of certain tax law changes and other limited circumstances relating to tax matters, we may redeem all, but not less than all, of the AstraZeneca PLC Notes of any series at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of

We may, at our option, at any time and without the consent of the then existing noteholders, reopen any series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes and issue additional AstraZeneca PLC Notes in one or more transactions after the date of this prospectus supplement with terms (other than the issuance date and, possibly, first interest payment date, original interest accrual date and issue price) identical to such series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes issued hereby. These additional AstraZeneca PLC Notes will be deemed to have been part of the applicable series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes offered hereby and will provide the holders of these additional AstraZeneca PLC Notes the right to vote together with holders of the applicable series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes issued hereby; provided, however, that if these additional AstraZeneca PLC Notes are not fungible with the applicable series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes offered hereby for U.S. federal income tax purposes, these additional AstraZeneca PLC Notes will have a different CUSIP or other identifying number.

We will issue the AstraZeneca PLC Notes in fully registered form. Each series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes will be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a nominee of DTC. You will hold beneficial interests in the Notes through DTC in book-entry form. The AstraZeneca PLC Notes will be issued in minimum denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. The underwriters expect to deliver the AstraZeneca PLC Notes through the facilities of DTC on May 28, 2021. Indirect holders trading their beneficial interests in the AstraZeneca PLC Notes through DTC must trade in DTC’s same-day funds settlement system and pay in immediately available funds. Secondary market trading through Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg will occur in the ordinary way following the applicable rules and operating procedures of Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg. See “Clearance and Settlement” in the attached prospectus for more information about these clearing systems.

Payment of principal of and interest on each series of AstraZeneca PLC Notes, so long as the AstraZeneca PLC Notes are represented by global securities, as discussed below, will be made in immediately available funds. Beneficial interests in the global securities will trade in the same-day funds settlement system of DTC, and secondary market trading activity in such interests will therefore settle in same-day funds.

If any deduction or withholding for any present or future taxes, levies, imposts or other governmental charges whatsoever imposed, assessed, levied or collected by or for the account of the Relevant Taxing Jurisdiction of AstraZeneca PLC or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein shall at any time be required by such jurisdiction (or any such political subdivision or taxing authority) in respect of any amounts to be paid by AstraZeneca PLC under any AstraZeneca PLC Notes, AstraZeneca PLC will (subject to compliance by the holders of such AstraZeneca PLC Notes with any administrative requirements) pay such additional amounts as may be necessary in order that the net amounts paid to the holders after such deduction or withholding, shall be not less than the amounts to which the holders were entitled had no such withholding or deduction been required; provided, however, that AstraZeneca PLC shall not be required to make any payment of additional amounts for or on account of:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, installments of interest on any series of the AZ Finance Special Mandatory Redemption Notes that are due and payable on interest payment dates falling on or prior to the Special Mandatory Redemption Date will be payable on such interest payment dates to the registered holders as of the close of business on the relevant record dates in accordance with the AZ Finance Special Mandatory Redemption Notes and the AstraZeneca Finance Indenture.

“Alexion Acquisition” means the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 12, 2020, among AstraZeneca PLC and the other parties thereto, with respect to the acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC of Alexion, as it may be amended from time to time prior to or subsequent to the date hereof.

AstraZeneca Finance may redeem the AstraZeneca Finance Notes of each series, in whole or in part, from time to time as follows: (i) prior to the applicable Par Call Date (as set forth below), at a redemption price equal to the greater of (A) 100% of the principal amount of such AstraZeneca Finance Notes to be redeemed, and (B) as determined by the Quotation Agent, the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on such AstraZeneca Finance Notes to be redeemed (assuming for this purpose that such series of AstraZeneca Finance Notes matured on the applicable Par Call Date and not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate plus the applicable Make-Whole Spread (as set forth below) and (ii) on or after the applicable Par Call Date, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the AstraZeneca Finance Notes to be redeemed, plus, in each case, accrued interest thereon to but excluding the date of redemption.

In connection with such optional redemption, the following defined terms apply:

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having an actual or interpolated maturity comparable to the remaining term of the applicable series of AstraZeneca Finance Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of such series of AstraZeneca Finance Notes (assuming for this purpose that such series of AstraZeneca Finance Notes matured on the applicable Par Call Date).

If any deduction or withholding for any present or future taxes, levies, imposts or other governmental charges whatsoever imposed, assessed, levied or collected by or for the account of the Relevant Taxing Jurisdiction of AstraZeneca Finance or the Guarantor (as applicable) or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein shall at any time be required by such jurisdiction (or any such political subdivision or taxing authority) in respect of any amounts to be paid by AstraZeneca Finance or the Guarantor under any AstraZeneca Finance Notes, AstraZeneca Finance or the Guarantor, as applicable, will (subject to compliance by the holders of such AstraZeneca Finance Notes with any administrative requirements) pay such additional amounts as may be necessary in order that the net amounts paid to the holders after such deduction or withholding, shall be not less than the amounts to which the holders were entitled had no such withholding or deduction been required; provided, however, that neither AstraZeneca Finance nor the Guarantor shall be required to make any payment of additional amounts for or on account of:

any combination of (i) through (x).

The following supplements the discussion under “Certain UK and U.S. Federal Tax Considerations” in the attached prospectus and is subject to the limitations and exceptions set forth therein.

On February 14, 2013, the European Commission published a proposal (the “Commission’s Proposal”) for a Directive for a common FTT in Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia (each, other than Estonia, a “participating Member State”). However, Estonia has since stated that it will not participate.

The Commission’s Proposal has very broad scope and could, if introduced, apply to certain dealings in the Notes (including secondary market transactions) in certain circumstances. The issuance and subscription of Notes should, however, be exempt.

Under the Commission’s Proposal the FTT could apply in certain circumstances to persons both within and outside of the participating Member States. Generally, it would apply to certain dealings in the Notes where at least one party is a financial institution, and at least one party is established in a participating Member State or the financial instruments are issued in a participating Member State. A financial institution may be, or be deemed to be, “established” in a participating Member State in a broad range of circumstances, including (a) by transacting with a person established in a participating Member State or (b) where the financial instrument which is subject to the dealings is issued in a participating Member State.

However, the Commission’s Proposal remains subject to negotiation between the participating Member States. It may therefore be altered prior to any implementation, the timing of which remains unclear. Additional EU member states may decide to participate. In any event, the United Kingdom has now departed the European Union due to Brexit. Noteholders are advised to seek their own professional advice in relation to the FTT.

The following supplements the discussion under “Certain UK and U.S. Federal Tax Considerations — United States Taxation” in the attached prospectus and is subject to the limitations and exceptions set forth therein. Holders who purchase Notes in this offering at the original offering price should review the discussion under “Certain UK and U.S. Federal Tax Considerations — United States Taxation” in the attached prospectus for a summary based on present law of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the purchase, ownership and disposition of Notes. Terms not defined in this section have the meanings specified under “Certain UK and U.S. Federal Tax Considerations — United States Taxation” in the attached prospectus.

Any of these activities may have the effect of stabilizing, preventing or retarding a decline in the market prices of the Notes. They may also cause the prices of the Notes to be higher than the prices that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.

The offering of the Notes by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.

We estimate that our expenses for the offering of the Notes, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $6,000,000.

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against various liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of any of those liabilities.

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, a variety of these services to us and to persons and entities with relationships with us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. Certain of the underwriters are affiliates of lenders under our revolving credit facilities, and affiliates of the underwriters act as dealers under our EMTN Programme. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC or their affiliates are acting as our financial advisors in connection with the Alexion Acquisition.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments, including serving as counterparties to certain derivative and hedging arrangements, and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to our assets, securities and/or instruments (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with us. Certain of the underwriters or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge, and certain other of those underwriters or their affiliates may hedge, their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, such underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the Notes offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the Notes offered hereby. The underwriters and

The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). For the purposes of this provision:

Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation. This prospectus supplement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of Notes in any member state of the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of Notes. Neither this prospectus supplement nor the accompanying prospectus is a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation.

The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of this provision:

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and any other material in relation to the Notes is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons in the United Kingdom who are “qualified investors” ​(as defined in the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the “Order”), (ii) high net worth entities or other persons falling within Articles 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (iii) persons to whom it would otherwise be lawful to distribute them, all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons.” The Notes are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such Notes will be engaged in only with, Relevant Persons. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and their contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by any recipients to any other person in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or their contents. The Notes are not being offered to the public in the United Kingdom.

In addition, in the United Kingdom, each underwriter has represented and agreed the Notes may not be offered other than by an underwriter that:

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Each underwriter: (i) has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell in Hong Kong, by means of any document, any Notes other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”) and any rules made under the SFO; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O; and (ii) has not issued

The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1919, as amended) (the “FIEL”) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan or to others for reoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and other relevant laws and regulations of Japan. As used in this paragraph, “resident of Japan” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organised under the laws of Japan.

This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus have not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the Notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the Notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”)) under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA ) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where the Notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, the securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation shall not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation has acquired the Notes under Section 275 of the SFA except:

Where the Notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an accredited investor, the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable for 6 months after that trust has acquired the Notes under Section 275 of the SFA except:

You should read “Risks and uncertainties” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, or similar sections in subsequent filings incorporated by reference in this prospectus, for information relating to risk factors affecting our business.

AstraZeneca PLC is organized as a holding company, and substantially all of its operations are carried on through subsidiaries. AstraZeneca PLC’s ability to meet its financial obligations is dependent upon the availability of cash flows from its domestic and foreign subsidiaries and affiliated companies through dividends, intercompany advances, management fees and other payments. AstraZeneca PLC’s subsidiaries are not guarantors of the debt securities AstraZeneca PLC may offer. Moreover, these subsidiaries and affiliated companies are not required and may not be able to pay dividends or otherwise distribute or advance cash to AstraZeneca PLC, which could limit the amount of funds available to meet payment obligations under AstraZeneca PLC’s debt securities.

Debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC will be structurally subordinated to any debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance and guaranteed by AstraZeneca PLC as to the assets of AstraZeneca Finance (if any). This means that claims of the creditors of AstraZeneca Finance, including the holders of debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance, will have priority as to any assets of AstraZeneca Finance over our rights as an indirect shareholder of AstraZeneca Finance. Consequently, in the event of AstraZeneca Finance’s insolvency, the claims of holders of debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC will be structurally subordinated to the prior claims of the creditors of AstraZeneca Finance, including the holders of debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance.

The debt securities that AstraZeneca PLC and AstraZeneca Finance are offering will be unsecured. To the extent that AstraZeneca PLC grants security over its assets in favor of holders of its other indebtedness, or to the extent that AstraZeneca Finance grants security over its assets in favor of holders of its other indebtedness, holders of debt securities of AstraZeneca PLC or AstraZeneca Finance, as applicable, will be effectively subordinated to the other indebtedness to the extent of the value of those assets. As of March 31, 2021, AstraZeneca PLC and AstraZeneca Finance had no secured indebtedness outstanding. If AstraZeneca

The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC or issued by AstraZeneca Finance and guaranteed by AstraZeneca PLC are each governed by a document called an indenture, described later under “Description of Debt Securities and Guarantees.” AstraZeneca PLC and AstraZeneca Finance may issue as many distinct series of debt securities under the applicable indenture as they wish. They may also issue a series of debt securities under the applicable indenture that provides holders with rights superior to the rights already granted or that may be granted in the future to holders of another series. You should read carefully the specific terms of any particular series of debt securities which will be contained in the prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities.

AstraZeneca PLC, AstraZeneca Finance and our respective subsidiaries are generally permitted to sell or otherwise dispose of assets to another person under the terms of the debt securities and the indenture, without the consent of holders of the debt securities. If any such assets are disposed of, you will not be entitled to declare an acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities and, except in the case of the sale or conveyance of the property of AstraZeneca PLC as an entirety or substantially as an entirety where the applicable successor entity must assume the obligations under the applicable debt securities (as described under “Description of Debt Securities and Guarantees — Mergers and Similar Events” below), the disposed assets will no longer be available to support the debt securities.

In addition, the covenant in the AstraZeneca Finance indenture that governs mergers or consolidations of AstraZeneca Finance will not limit the ability of AstraZeneca Finance to sell or otherwise dispose of its property or assets, including sales or other dispositions of its property as an entirety or substantially as an entirety. This means that if AstraZeneca Finance issues debt securities under the AstraZeneca Finance indenture and later transfers its property as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to another person, these transactions would not be limited by the AstraZeneca Finance indenture unless they involved a merger or consolidation of AstraZeneca Finance or if they were to implicate the covenant that governs mergers, consolidations or the sale or conveyance of the property of AstraZeneca PLC as an entirety or substantially as an entirety.

The indentures under which AstraZeneca PLC or AstraZeneca Finance will issue their respective debt securities do not limit the amount of unsecured indebtedness that AstraZeneca PLC, AstraZeneca Finance or our other subsidiaries may incur. In addition, neither of the indentures contains any debt covenants or provisions that afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event AstraZeneca PLC or AstraZeneca Finance participate in a highly leveraged or similar transaction.

The credit ratings ascribed to any of AstraZeneca PLC’s or AstraZeneca Finance’s debt securities from time to time are intended to reflect AstraZeneca PLC’s and AstraZeneca Finance’s ability to meet their respective payment obligations in respect of the debt securities they have offered, and may not reflect the

From time to time, we make written or oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This prospectus, including information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to our operations, performance and financial condition, including, among other things, statements about expected revenues, margins, earnings per share or other financial or other measures. Although we believe our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any forward-looking statements, by their very nature, involve risks and uncertainties and may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those predicted. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends” and similar expressions in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, certain of which are beyond our control, include, among other things:

AstraZeneca PLC and AstraZeneca Finance may issue debt securities using this prospectus.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit some of the information included in the registration statement from this prospectus. In addition, we are subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, we file reports and other information with the SEC.

The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports and other information regarding issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.

We maintain a website at www.astrazeneca.com. Information available at or through our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with or furnish to them. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Each document incorporated by reference is current only as of the date of such document, and the incorporation by reference of such documents shall not create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date thereof or that the information contained therein is current as of any time subsequent to its date. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus and should be read with the same care. When we update the information contained in documents that have been incorporated by reference by making future filings with the SEC, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus is considered to be automatically updated and superseded. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information contained in this prospectus and information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any documents filed with the SEC in the future under Sections 13(a), 13(c) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act until the offerings made under this prospectus are completed:

AstraZeneca PLC may issue debt securities using this prospectus. The debt securities will be AstraZeneca PLC’s unsubordinated and, unless otherwise expressly stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series. AstraZeneca Finance may also issue debt securities using this prospectus. The debt securities will be AstraZeneca Finance’s unsubordinated and, unless otherwise expressly stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series. The debt securities of AstraZeneca Finance will be guaranteed by AstraZeneca PLC (each, a “Guaranty” and, collectively, the “Guarantees”). The Guarantees will be the unsubordinated and, unless otherwise expressly stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, unsecured obligations of the Guarantor.

The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC may be issued under an indenture (the “AstraZeneca PLC indenture”), between AstraZeneca PLC, as the issuer, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. See “— The Trustee” below.

The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance LLC may be issued under an indenture (the “AstraZeneca Finance indenture” and, together with the AstraZeneca PLC indenture, the “indentures” and each of them an “indenture”), among AstraZeneca Finance LLC, as the issuer, AstraZeneca PLC, as the guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee.

This section summarizes the material provisions of the indentures, the debt securities and the guarantees. Because it is a summary, it does not describe every aspect of the applicable indenture, the debt securities or the guarantees. This summary is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to all of the indenture provisions, including some of the terms used and defined in the indentures. We describe the meaning of only the more important terms in this prospectus. We also include references in parentheses to some sections of the indentures. Whenever we refer to particular sections or defined terms of each indenture in this prospectus or in the applicable prospectus supplement, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference here or in the prospectus supplement. This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the description of the particular terms of your series of debt securities described in the prospectus supplement.

The applicable indenture and its associated documents contain the full legal text of the matters described in this section. The indentures, the debt securities and the guarantees are governed by New York law. Each indenture is an exhibit included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information About Us” for information on how to obtain a copy.

The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC will rank equally in right of payment with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness except for indebtedness that is preferred under applicable law. The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC will be structurally subordinated to any indebtedness incurred by the subsidiaries of AstraZeneca PLC as to the assets of such subsidiaries. The debt securities of AstraZeneca PLC are unsecured obligations and are not guaranteed by any of AstraZeneca PLC’s subsidiaries.

The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance will rank equally in right of payment with all of AstraZeneca Finance’s other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness except for indebtedness that is preferred under applicable law. The debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance will be structurally

The debt securities of AstraZeneca Finance will be guaranteed by AstraZeneca PLC. AstraZeneca PLC’s guarantee will rank equally in right of payment with all of AstraZeneca PLC’s other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness, including debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC, except for indebtedness that is preferred under applicable law. The guarantees of AstraZeneca PLC will be structurally subordinated to any indebtedness incurred by the subsidiaries of AstraZeneca PLC as to the assets of such subsidiaries. The guarantees are unsecured obligations of AstraZeneca PLC and are not guaranteed by any of AstraZeneca PLC’s other subsidiaries.

The Bank of New York Mellon is the trustee under each of the indentures. As trustee, it has two main roles:

Neither of the indentures limits the amount of debt securities that the applicable issuer can issue. Each of the indentures provides that debt securities may be issued in one or more series up to the aggregate principal amount as the applicable issuer authorizes from time to time. All debt securities of one series need not be issued at the same time, and the applicable issuer may reopen any series, without the consent of a holder of that series, to issue additional debt securities of the same series.

The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will describe the following terms of the series:

the denominations in which debt securities of the series are issuable, if other than denominations of $2,000 and any whole multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof;

the portion of the principal amount of the series of debt securities payable if an acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities is declared or provable in bankruptcy, if other than the principal amount;

the currency, including any composite currency, of payment of the principal, premium, if any, and interest on the series of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars;

whether the applicable issuer or a holder of debt securities may elect to have the principal, premium, if any, or interest on the series of debt securities paid in a currency or composite currency other than the currency in which the debt securities are stated to be payable, and if so, any election period and the terms and conditions governing such an election;

Under the AstraZeneca Finance indenture, the Guarantor is generally permitted to consolidate or merge with another person that is organized under the laws of the UK, a State of the U.S. or any other country which is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Guarantor is also generally permitted to sell or convey its property as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to such other entity. Its ability to take some of these actions is restricted in the following ways:

any successor to the Guarantor must assume the Guarantor’s obligations in relation to the Guarantees and under the AstraZeneca Finance indenture; and

The remainder of this description summarizes:

You may not exchange your registered debt securities for bearer securities.

any present or future tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge which would not have been so imposed, assessed, levied or collected but for the fact that, where presentation is required, the relevant debt security was presented more than 30 days after the date on which such payment became due or was provided for, whichever is later;

any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge;

any present or future tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge which is payable otherwise than by deduction or withholding from payments on or in respect of the relevant debt security;

any present or future tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge which would not have been so imposed, assessed, levied or collected but for the failure of the holder or beneficial owner of the relevant debt security to comply with any certification, identification or other reporting requirements concerning the holder’s or the beneficial owner’s nationality, residence, identity or connection with the Relevant Taxing Jurisdiction or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, if compliance is required by treaty or by statute, regulation or administrative practice of such jurisdiction or of any such political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein as a condition to relief or exemption from such tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge;

any present or future tax, levy, impost or other governmental charge which the holder would have been able to avoid by authorizing the paying agent to report information in accordance with the procedure laid down by the relevant tax authority or by producing, in the form requested by the relevant tax authority, a declaration, claim, certificate, document or other evidence establishing exemption therefrom;

the Guarantor (as applicable) or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein shall at any time be required by such jurisdiction (or any such political subdivision or taxing authority) in respect of any amounts to be paid by AstraZeneca Finance or the Guarantor under any series of AstraZeneca Finance debt securities, AstraZeneca Finance or the Guarantor, as applicable, will (subject to compliance by the holders of such AstraZeneca Finance debt securities with any administrative requirements) pay such additional amounts as may be necessary in order that the net amounts paid to the holders after such deduction or withholding, shall be not less than the amounts to which the holders are entitled had no such withholding or deduction been required; provided, however, that neither AstraZeneca Finance nor the Guarantor shall be required to make any payment of additional amounts for or on account of:

AstraZeneca Finance is generally permitted to consolidate or merge with another person that is organized under the laws of the UK, any State of the U.S. or any other country which is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. AstraZeneca Finance’s ability to take some of these actions is restricted in the following ways:

any entity succeeding AstraZeneca Finance must assume AstraZeneca Finance’s obligations in relation to the debt securities and under the AstraZeneca Finance indenture;

The third situation is where, as a result of any delivery or requirement to deliver definitive, registered securities (having used all reasonable efforts to avoid having to issue such definitive registered securities), (i) the applicable issuer or the Guarantor would have to pay additional amounts as described under “—​Payment of Additional Amounts” or (ii) a subsidiary of the applicable issuer or the Guarantor would be required to deduct or withhold tax on any payment to the issuer or the Guarantor to enable the issuer or the Guarantor to make any payment of principal or interest in respect of the debt securities, and in either case this cannot be avoided by the use of reasonable measures available.

The fourth situation is where, if the person formed by a consolidation of the applicable issuer or Guarantor or into which the applicable issuer or Guarantor is merged or to which the applicable issuer or the Guarantor conveys, transfers or leases its properties and assets substantially as an entirety is required to pay a holder additional amounts in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge which is imposed on any such holder or required to be withheld or deducted from any payment to such holder as a consequence of such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease. (Section 11.06)

Some of the property of AstraZeneca PLC and its subsidiaries may be subject to a mortgage, pledge, assignment, charge or other legal mechanism that gives a lender preferential rights in that property over other lenders, including you and the other direct holders of the debt securities, or over the general creditors of AstraZeneca PLC and its subsidiaries, if such lender is not repaid. These preferential rights are generally called liens.

AstraZeneca PLC undertakes that it and certain of its subsidiaries, which we refer to as “restricted subsidiaries,” will not become obligated on any new debt for borrowed money that is secured by a lien on any principal property or on any shares of stock or indebtedness of any of its restricted subsidiaries unless AstraZeneca PLC grants an equivalent or higher-ranking lien on the same property to you and the other direct holders of the debt securities. (Section 3.09)

with substantially all of its property located within the UK or the U.S.; and

which owns a principal property, but does not include any wholly-owned subsidiary principally engaged in leasing or in financing installment receivables or principally engaged in financing the operations of us and our consolidated subsidiaries.

A subsidiary, with respect to any person, is any corporation in which that person owns or controls directly or indirectly at least a majority of stock with ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors.

any plant or facility or research facility which in the opinion of our board of directors is not materially important to the total business conducted by us and our subsidiaries; or

any portion of a property described above which, in the opinion of our board of directors, is not materially important to the use or operation of the property. (Section 1.01)

AstraZeneca PLC does not need to comply with this restriction if the amount of all debt that would be secured by liens on its principal properties and the shares of stock or indebtedness of its restricted subsidiaries is no more than 15% of its consolidated net tangible assets. (Section 3.09)

all liabilities due within one year (other than short-term borrowings and long-term debt due within one year); and

This restriction on liens does not apply to debt secured by a number of different types of liens. These types of liens include the following:

This restriction does not apply to any sale and lease-back transaction if:

This restriction on sale and lease-back transactions also does not apply to any transaction between AstraZeneca PLC and a restricted subsidiary, or between restricted subsidiaries.

series of debt securities then issued under the applicable indenture and outstanding) and has not been cured, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of debt securities of the affected series (each affected series voting as a separate class) may declare the principal amount (or, if the debt securities of a series are original issue discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of all the debt securities of that series, together with any accrued interest, to be due and payable immediately. If an event of default has occurred under “Covenant” default with respect to all of the series of debt securities then issued under the applicable indenture and outstanding, or under “Bankruptcy” default, and has not been cured, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of all the debt securities then issued under the applicable indenture and outstanding (treated as one class) may declare the principal (or, if any debt securities are original issue discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of all debt securities then issued under the applicable indenture and outstanding, together with any accrued interest, to be due and payable immediately. This is called a declaration of acceleration of maturity. A declaration of acceleration of maturity may be canceled by the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series or by at least a majority in principal amount of all the debt securities then issued under the applicable indenture and outstanding (voting as one class), as the case may be, if certain conditions are met. (Section 4.01)

For any series of debt securities that is a series of original issue discount securities the applicable prospectus supplement will contain provisions for the acceleration of the maturity of a portion of the principal amount of such original issue discount securities.

There are three types of changes which the applicable issuer can make to the applicable indenture and any series of debt securities under the applicable indenture.

The applicable issuer may terminate its repayment and obligations on a particular series of the debt securities, when:

The applicable issuer may legally release itself from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities of a particular series, except for various obligations described below, if such issuer, in addition to other actions, puts in place the following arrangements for you:

However, even if the applicable issuer takes these actions, a number of obligations relating to the debt securities will remain. These include the following obligations:

Government obligation means securities that are:

Securities issued by either issuer may be held through one or more international and domestic clearing systems. The principal clearing systems the issuers will use are the book-entry systems operated by The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) in the U.S., Clearstream Banking S.A. (“Clearstream, Luxembourg”) in Luxembourg, and Euroclear Bank SA/NV (“Euroclear”) in Brussels, Belgium. These systems have established electronic securities and payment transfer, processing, depositary and custodial links among themselves and others, either directly or through custodians and depositories. These links allow securities to be issued, held and transferred among the clearing systems without the physical transfer of certificates.

Special procedures to facilitate clearance and settlement have been established among these clearing systems to trade securities across borders in the secondary market. Where payments for securities issued by either issuer in global form will be made in U.S. dollars, these procedures can be used for cross-market transfers and the securities will be cleared and settled on a delivery against payment basis.

Cross-market transfers of securities that are not in global form may be cleared and settled in accordance with other procedures that may be established among the clearing systems for these securities. Investors in securities that are issued outside of the U.S., its territories and possessions must initially hold their interests through Clearstream, Luxembourg, Euroclear, or the clearance system that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The policies of DTC, Clearstream, Luxembourg and Euroclear will govern payments, transfers, exchange and other matters relating to the investor’s interest in securities held by them. This is also true for any other clearance system that may be named in a prospectus supplement.

The issuers have no responsibility for any aspect of the actions of DTC, Clearstream, Luxembourg or Euroclear or any of their direct or indirect participants. The issuers have no responsibility for any aspect of the records kept by DTC, Clearstream, Luxembourg or Euroclear or any of their direct or indirect participants. The issuers also do not supervise these systems in any way. This is also true for any other clearing system indicated in a prospectus supplement.

DTC, Clearstream, Luxembourg, Euroclear and their participants perform these clearance and settlement functions under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers. You should be aware that they are not obligated to perform these procedures and may modify them or discontinue them at any time.

The description of the clearing systems in this section reflects the issuers’ understanding of the rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream, Luxembourg and Euroclear as they are currently in effect. Those systems could change their rules and procedures at any time.

DTC has advised the issuers as follows:

DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations and may include certain other organizations. DTC is partially owned by some of these participants or their representatives.

The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Clearstream, Luxembourg has advised the issuers as follows:

Euroclear has advised the issuers as follows:

The distribution of the securities will be cleared through one or more of the clearing systems that we have described above or any other clearing system that is specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Payment for securities will be made on a delivery versus payment or free delivery basis. These payment procedures will be more fully described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Clearance and settlement procedures may vary from one series of securities to another according to the currency that is chosen for the specific series of securities. Customary clearance and settlement procedures are described below.

The applicable issuer will submit applications to the relevant system or systems for the securities to be accepted for clearance. The clearance numbers that are applicable to each clearance system will be specified in the prospectus supplement.

DTC participants that hold securities through DTC on behalf of investors will follow the settlement practices applicable to U.S. corporate debt obligations in DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System, or such other procedures as are applicable for other securities.

Securities will be credited to the securities custody accounts of these DTC participants against payment in same-day funds, for payments in U.S. dollars, on the settlement date. For payments in a currency other than U.S. dollars, securities will be credited free of payment on the settlement date.

We understand that investors that hold their securities through Clearstream, Luxembourg or Euroclear accounts will follow the settlement procedures that are applicable to conventional Eurobonds in registered form for debt securities, or such other procedures as are applicable for other securities.

Securities will be credited to the securities custody accounts of Clearstream, Luxembourg and Euroclear participants on the business day following the settlement date, for value on the settlement date. They will be credited either free of payment or against payment for value on the settlement date.

Secondary market trading between DTC participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with DTC’s rules. Secondary market trading will be settled using procedures applicable to U.S. corporate debt obligations in DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System for debt securities, or such other procedures as are applicable for other securities.

If payment is made in U.S. dollars, settlement will be in same-day funds. If payment is made in a currency other than U.S. dollars, settlement will be free of payment. If payment is made other than in U.S. dollars, separate payment arrangements outside of the DTC system must be made between the DTC participants involved.

We understand that secondary market trading between Clearstream, Luxembourg and/or Euroclear participants will occur in the ordinary way following the applicable rules and operating procedures of Clearstream, Luxembourg and Euroclear. Secondary market trading will be settled using procedures applicable to conventional Eurobonds in registered form for debt securities, or such other procedures as are applicable for other securities.

A purchaser of securities that are held in the account of a DTC participant must send instructions to Clearstream, Luxembourg or Euroclear at least one business day prior to settlement. The instructions will

In this section, debt securities issued by AstraZeneca PLC are referred to as “AZ PLC Debt Securities” and debt securities issued by AstraZeneca Finance LLC are referred to as “AZ Finance Debt Securities” (together with the AZ PLC Debt Securities, the “Debt Securities”).

The following summary is of a general nature and describes certain UK tax considerations that relate to the Debt Securities and is based on current UK law and what is understood to be the practice of H.M. Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”) as of the date hereof, both of which may change (possibly with retroactive effect). It is not tax advice. The comments relate only to the position of persons who are the absolute beneficial owners of their Debt Securities and any payments in respect of such Debt Securities and may not apply to certain classes of persons such as dealers and holders who are connected with us for relevant tax purposes. This section offers general guidance only and in particular does not discuss the UK tax treatment relevant to convertible or exchangeable securities, asset linked securities or securities issued at anything other than no discount or a fixed discount to their redemption amount.

If Debt Securities are issued with a redemption premium, then any such premium may constitute interest for UK tax purposes and so be treated in the manner described below. References to “interest” in this section mean interest as understood in UK tax law. The statements below do not take account of any different definitions of interest which may prevail under any other law or which may be created by the terms and conditions of the Debt Securities or any related documentation.

Payments of interest on AZ PLC Debt Securities will not be subject to withholding or deduction for or on account of UK taxation to the extent that the AZ PLC Debt Securities are treated as “quoted Eurobonds” within the meaning of section 987 of the Income Tax Act 2007 (the “Act”). This will be the case so long as the AZ PLC Debt Securities are listed on a “recognised stock exchange” within the meaning of Section 1005 of the Act. The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC will be a “recognised stock exchange” so long as it is registered with the SEC as a national securities exchange.

Even if the AZ PLC Debt Securities do not qualify as “quoted Eurobonds”, the withholding obligation is disapplied in respect of payments to holders who AstraZeneca PLC reasonably believes are either a UK resident company or a non-UK resident company carrying on a trade in the UK through a UK permanent establishment in respect of which the payment is required to be brought into account in calculating the non-UK resident’s UK chargeable profits, or otherwise fall within various categories enjoying a special tax status (including charities and pension funds), or are partnerships consisting of such persons (unless HMRC directs otherwise).

In all other cases, payments of interest on AZ PLC Debt Securities will generally be made after deduction of tax at the basic rate, which is currently 20%. Certain holders of Debt Securities who are resident in the U.S. may be entitled to receive payments free of deductions for or on account of UK tax under the UK — U.S. double taxation treaty and may therefore be able to obtain a direction to that effect from the appropriate taxation authority in the UK. Holders of Debt Securities who are resident in other jurisdictions may also be able to receive payment free of deductions or subject to a lower rate of deduction under an appropriate double taxation treaty and may be able to obtain a direction to that effect. However, such a direction will, in either case, only be issued on prior application to the relevant tax authorities by the holder in question. If such a direction is not in place at the time a payment of interest is made, the person making the payment will be required to withhold tax, although a holder of Debt Securities resident in another jurisdiction who is entitled to relief may subsequently claim the amount, or a proportion of the amount, as appropriate, withheld, from HMRC.

The interest on AZ PLC Debt Securities will have a UK source for tax purposes and, as such, may be subject to income tax by direct assessment even where paid without withholding. However, interest with a

UK source received without deduction or withholding on account of UK tax will effectively not be chargeable to UK tax in the hands of a person who is not resident for tax purposes in the UK unless that person carries on a trade, profession or vocation in the UK through a branch or agency (or, for holders who are companies, through a permanent establishment) in the UK in connection with which the interest is received or to which the AZ PLC Debt Securities are attributable. There are certain exceptions for interest received by certain categories of agents (such as some brokers and investment managers).

on a trade in the UK through a branch or agency to which the Debt Securities are attributable will not be subject to the provisions of these rules.

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of Debt Securities that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes (i) a citizen or individual resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other business entity treated as a corporation) that is organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) a trust subject to the control of one or more U.S. persons and the primary supervision of a U.S. court or (iv) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source. A “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of Debt Securities that is not a U.S. Holder or a partnership (or an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes).

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in a partnership (or an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that acquires, owns or disposes of a Debt Security generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective investor that is a partnership should consult its own advisors about the tax consequences for its partners of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of a Debt Security.

There may be further discussion of U.S. federal income tax considerations in the prospectus supplement for each series of Debt Securities.

Except as discussed below under “— Original Issue Discount,” interest on the Debt Securities (including any tax withheld therefrom and additional amounts paid in respect of such withholding) generally will be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder in accordance with its regular method of tax accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Interest on floating rate Debt Securities will generally accrue at a hypothetical fixed rate equal to the rate at which such Debt Securities bore interest on their issue date. The amount of interest actually recognized for any accrual period will increase (or decrease) if the interest actually paid during the period is more (or less) than the amount accrued at the hypothetical rate. U.S. Holders of floating rate Debt Securities, therefore, generally will recognize income for each period equal to the amount paid during that period.

exchange rate on the last day of the first taxable year for the interest accrued through that date). If accrued interest actually is received within five business days of the last day of the accrual period (or the taxable year, in the case of a partial accrual period), an electing accrual basis U.S. Holder instead may translate the accrued interest at the spot exchange rate on the date of actual receipt for purposes of translating accrued interest income into U.S. dollars (in which case no exchange gain or loss will be taken into account upon receipt). Any currency translation elections will apply to all debt instruments that the electing U.S. Holder holds or acquires as of the beginning of that taxable year. A U.S. Holder may not revoke this election without the consent of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).

If AstraZeneca PLC or AstraZeneca Finance LLC has an unconditional option to redeem a Debt Security, for purposes of determining the yield and maturity of the Debt Instrument under the OID rules, the option will be presumed to be exercised if, utilizing an early redemption date and the amount payable on such date, the yield on the Debt Security would be lower than its yield to stated maturity. If the option is not exercised when presumed to be exercised, for purposes of computing future accruals of OID, the Debt Security would be treated as if it were retired and a new Debt Security were issued on the presumed exercise date for an amount equal to the Debt Security’s adjusted issue price on that date.

OID on a Debt Security that is denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars will be determined for any accrual period in the applicable currency and then translated into U.S. dollars in the same manner as other interest income accrued by an accrual method U.S. Holder, as described above under “— Interest.” A U.S. Holder will recognize exchange gain or loss when OID is paid to the extent of the difference between the U.S. dollar amount of the accrued OID and the U.S. dollar value of the currency received based on the spot exchange rate on the date of receipt. Such exchange gain or loss will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss and generally will not be considered additional interest income or expense. For this purpose, all payments (other than qualified stated interest) on a Debt Security will first be viewed as payments of previously accrued OID, with payments considered made for the earliest accrual periods first.

A U.S. Holder may elect to treat all interest on a Debt Security as OID applying the constant yield method described above to accrue such interest, with the modifications described below. For purposes of this election, interest includes stated interest, OID, de minimis OID, acquisition discount, and unstated interest, as adjusted by any amortizable bond premium. In applying the constant yield method to a Debt Security with respect to which this election has been made, the issue price of a Debt Security will equal the electing U.S. Holder’s adjusted basis in the Debt Security immediately after its acquisition, the issue date of the Debt Security will be the date of its acquisition by the electing U.S. Holder, and no payments on the Debt Security will be treated as payments of qualified stated interest. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, it will apply only to the Debt Security with respect to which it is made and the U.S. Holder may not revoke it without the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder making this election with respect to a Debt Security with bond premium will be deemed to have made the election (discussed below in “— Bond Premium”) to amortize bond premium currently with respect to all debt instruments with bond premium held or acquired by such U.S. Holder as of the beginning of that taxable year.

A U.S. Holder of a Debt Security with a maturity of one year or less (a “Short-Term Debt Security”) will be subject to special rules. The OID rules do not treat interest payments on a Short-Term Debt Security as qualified stated interest, but instead treat a Short-Term Debt Security as having OID determined by including stated interest payments in a Short-Term Debt Security’s stated redemption price at maturity. Except as noted below, a cash basis U.S. Holder of a Short-Term Debt Security generally will not be required to accrue OID currently, but will be required to treat any gain realized on a sale or other disposition of a Short-Term Debt Security as ordinary income to the extent such gain or loss does not exceed the OID accrued with respect to the Short-Term Debt Security during the period the U.S. Holder held such Short-Term Debt Security. Accrual basis (and electing cash basis) U.S. Holders will include OID on a Short-Term Debt Security in income on a current basis.

A U.S. Holder will accrue OID on a Short-Term Debt Security on a straight-line method unless it elects a constant yield method. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, it will apply only to the Short-Term Debt Security with respect to which it is made, and the U.S. Holder may not revoke it. Furthermore, unless a U.S. Holder is required or elects to include OID into income on a current basis as described above, a U.S.

A U.S. Holder that has an initial tax basis in a Debt Security that is greater than its stated redemption price at maturity may elect to treat the excess as amortizable bond premium. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, it will reduce the amount required to be included in income each year with respect to interest on the Debt Security by the amount of amortizable bond premium allocable to that year (based on a constant yield method). If a U.S. Holder makes an election to amortize bond premium, it will apply to all the taxable debt instruments of a U.S. Holder with bond premium that the electing U.S. Holder holds or acquires as of the beginning of that taxable year. A U.S. Holder may not revoke this election without the consent of the IRS.

In the case of a Debt Security denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, bond premium is computed in units of the relevant foreign currency and amortizable bond premium reduces interest income in units of such foreign currency. At the time amortized bond premium offsets interest income, foreign currency exchange gain or loss (taxable as U.S. source ordinary income or loss, but not generally as interest income or expense) is realized based on the difference between spot exchange rates at that time and at the time of the acquisition of the Debt Security.

With respect to a U.S. Holder that does not elect to amortize bond premium, the amount of bond premium constitutes a capital loss when the Debt Security matures.

A U.S. Holder generally will recognize gain or loss on a sale, retirement, redemption or other taxable disposition of a Debt Security in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized (less any accrued but unpaid qualified stated interest, which will be taxable as interest income to the extent not previously included in income) and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Debt Security, both as determined in U.S. dollars. In the case of a disposition of a Debt Security for an amount denominated in a foreign currency, the U.S. dollar amount realized will be the value of the foreign currency received based on the spot exchange rate on the date of disposition (or, if the Debt Securities are traded on an established securities market and the holder is a cash basis or an electing accrual basis holder, the settlement date). A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in a Debt Security generally will be the amount paid for the Debt Security, increased by the U.S. dollar amount of OID included in the U.S. Holder’s income with respect to the Debt Security and reduced by any bond premium amortized with respect to the Debt Security and the U.S. dollar value of any OID payments (including stated interest in excess of qualified stated interest) and principal payments previously received by the holder. The amount paid for a Debt Security denominated in a foreign currency will be the U.S. dollar value of the currency based on the spot exchange rate on the date of purchase (or, if the Debt Securities are traded on an established securities market and the U.S. Holder is a cash basis or an electing accrual basis holder, the settlement date).

Subject to the discussion above under “— Short-Term Debt Securities” and the discussion below of foreign currency exchange gain or loss, gain or loss recognized on a disposition of a Debt Security will generally be capital gain or loss. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder has held the Debt Security for more than one year at the time of disposition. A non-corporate U.S. Holder’s long-term capital gain may be taxed at lower rates. Deductions for capital losses are subject to limitations. Gain or loss recognized on a disposition of a Debt Security (regardless of whether it is of an AZ PLC Debt Security or an AZ Finance Debt Security) will generally be treated as from U.S. sources. On a disposition of a Debt Security denominated in a foreign currency, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize foreign currency exchange gain or loss with respect to the principal amount of the Debt Security (which, for this purpose, will be the U.S. Holder’s purchase price in the relevant foreign currency). Such foreign currency exchange gain or loss generally will be equal to the difference between the U.S. dollar value of the principal amount of the Debt Security on the date of acquisition and on the date of disposition. Foreign currency exchange gain or loss will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss and generally will not be considered additional interest income or expense. The amount of foreign currency exchange gain or loss

If a U.S. Holder recognizes a loss on a disposition of a Debt Security denominated in a foreign currency and such loss is above certain thresholds, the U.S. Holder may be required to file a disclosure statement with the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding this reporting obligation.

The tax basis of currency other than U.S. dollars received by a U.S. Holder generally will equal the U.S. dollar equivalent of such foreign currency at the spot exchange rate on the date it is received. Upon the subsequent exchange of such foreign currency for U.S. dollars, another currency, or property, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize exchange gain or loss equal to the difference between the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the foreign currency and the U.S. dollars received or the U.S. dollar value of the other currency (at the spot exchange rate on the date of exchange) or property. Such gain or loss will be U.S. source ordinary gain or loss.

Interest (which, for purposes of this discussion of Non-U.S. Holders, includes any OID) paid to a Non-U.S. Holder on an AZ PLC Debt Security will be exempt from U.S. withholding tax.

Subject to the discussion below under “— FATCA Withholding,” interest paid to a Non-U.S. Holder on an AZ Finance Debt Security generally will be exempt from U.S. withholding tax if (i) the Non-U.S. Holder is not considered a 10% shareholder (within the meaning of Sections 871(h)(3) or 881(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) of AstraZeneca Finance LLC, (ii) the Non-U.S. Holder is not a controlled foreign corporation related (within the meaning of Section 864(d)(4) of the Code) to AstraZeneca Finance LLC, (iii) the Non-U.S. Holder is not treated as a bank holding the AZ Finance Debt Security as an extension of credit in the ordinary course of its banking business for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (iv) payments on the AZ Finance Debt Security are not contingent interest ineligible for the portfolio interest exemption from U.S. withholding tax (generally interest determined by reference to income, profits, cash flow, sales, dividends or other similar attributes of AstraZeneca Finance LLC or any related person) and (v) the Non-U.S. Holder has furnished to the applicable withholding agent a complete IRS withholding form (generally, an applicable Form W-8) upon which the Non-U.S. Holder certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it is not a United States person. If a Non-U.S. Holder does not satisfy the requirements described above, then, subject to the discussion below under “— Net Income Tax”, interest paid to a Non-U.S. Holder on an AZ Finance Debt Security generally will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income treaty, provided the Non-U.S. Holder satisfies applicable certification requirements establishing its eligibility for such lower rate).

Gain realized by a Non-U.S. Holder on the disposition of a Debt Security generally will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax or income tax unless (i) the gain is effectively connected with such holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (as discussed below under “— Net Income Tax”) or (ii) the holder is an individual present in the United States for at least 183 days during the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met, in which case, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, such gain (which may be offset by certain U.S. source losses) generally will be subject to a 30% U.S. federal income tax.

If a Non-U.S. Holder is engaged in a trade or business within the United States, interest paid to the holder on a Debt Security or gain realized by the holder on the disposition of a Debt Security generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis, in the same manner as if the holder were a

The issuers may sell the securities offered by this prospectus:

The prospectus supplement relating to any offering will identify or describe: