Blueprint

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

AstraZeneca's partner Valeant Pharmaceuticals today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Siliq (brodalumab) injection for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy and have failed to respond or have lost response to other systemic therapies.

Siliq is an IL-17 receptor monoclonal antibody for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, a chronic, debilitating skin disease that causes red patches of skin covered with silvery scales.

Through a collaboration agreement, AstraZeneca granted Valeant, an expert in dermatology, the exclusive license to develop and commercialise Siliq globally, except in Japan and certain other Asian countries where rights are held by Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd through an agreement with Amgen, and in Europe, where LEO Pharma holds exclusive rights to develop and commercialise brodalumab through an agreement entered in July 2016.

Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: "We are pleased that our commitment to Siliq, from its development in our biologics pipeline through to our partnership with Valeant, has led to a new treatment option for psoriasis patients, many of whom have previously not been able to achieve full clearance of their skin."

Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will receive a milestone payment of $130 million from Valeant at first regulatory approval. This milestone will be recorded in the AstraZeneca financial statements as Externalisation Revenue. Following the approval, AstraZeneca and Valeant will share profits from the sale of Siliq in the US market.

Marc Dunoyer, Chief Financial Officer, AstraZeneca said: "Our agreement with Valeant supports our externalisation strategy, which allows us to focus on our three main therapy areas while partnering other assets for the benefit of patients, generating sustainable revenue for the future."

Siliq (brodalumab) is a novel human monoclonal antibody that binds to the interleukin-17 (IL-17) receptor and inhibits inflammatory signalling by blocking the binding of several types of IL-17 to the receptor. By stopping IL-17 from activating the receptor, brodalumab prevents the body from receiving signals that may lead to inflammation. The IL-17 pathway plays a central role in inducing and promoting inflammatory disease processes.

The FDA approval is based on data from the three AMAGINE Phase III pivotal studies that demonstrated that Siliq has an effective mechanism of action that delivers clinical benefit and could help a significant number of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis patients achieve total clearance of their skin disease. At the 210mg dose, Siliq was shown to be efficacious in total skin clearance of psoriasis with approximately twice as many patients on Siliq achieving total skin clearance compared to ustekinumab at week 12 in two replicate comparator trials involving over 2,400 patients.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE/TSX:VRX) is a multinational specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products primarily in the areas of dermatology, gastrointestinal disorders, eye health, neurology and branded generics. More information about Valeant can be found at www.valeant.com.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three main therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Diseases and Respiratory. The Company also is selectively active in the areas of autoimmunity, neuroscience and infection. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

Media Enquiries
Esra Erkal-Paler	UK/Global	+44 203 749 5638
Vanessa Rhodes	UK/Global	+44 203 749 5736
Karen Birmingham	UK/Global	+44 203 749 5634
Rob Skelding	UK/Global	+44 203 749 5821
Jacob Lund	Sweden	+46 8 553 260 20
Michele Meixell	US	+1 302 885 2677
Investor Relations
Thomas Kudsk Larsen		+44 203 749 5712
Craig Marks	Finance, Fixed Income, M&A	+44 7881 615 764
Henry Wheeler	Oncology	+44 203 749 5797
Mitchell Chan	Oncology	+1 240 477 3771
Lindsey Trickett	Cardiovascular & Metabolic Diseases	+1 240 543 7970
Nick Stone	Respiratory	+44 203 749 5716
Christer Gruvris	Autoimmunity, Neuroscience & Infection	+44 203 749 5711
US toll free		+1 866 381 7277

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: 16 February 2017	By: /s/ Adrian Kemp
	Name: Adrian Kemp
	Title: Company Secretary