AstraZeneca names insider Rick Suarez as head of US biopharmaceuticals unit

January 8, 2026 9:39 AM EST

A U.S. flag stands next to the AstraZeneca logo at the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C., July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Jan 8 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca on ⁠Thursday appointed ⁠company ‍insider Rick Suarez as the head of its U.S. biopharmaceuticals unit to lead the drugmaker's $50 billion ‍investment plan in the company's largest market.

The drugmaker announced ​the investments last year in response to President Donald Trump's tariff policy. ​The plan, which will be implemented over five years, includes construction of a $4.5 billion manufacturing facility in Virginia, AstraZeneca’s largest single manufacturing investment ​globally.

Suarez, who joined AstraZeneca in 1999, has served as country president for Spain since 2020, and has over 20 ​years of U.S. healthcare experience, the company said.

AstraZeneca, under the overall leadership of ‌CEO Pascal Soriot, has sought to balance the Trump administration's demands on the pharmaceutical sector with a ​deal to lower drug prices for ⁠millions of Americans and a full listing of its shares on the New York Stock ‌Exchange.

The Anglo-Swedish company was also the first non-U.S. drugmaker to enter a deal with the White House on drug-pricing in November, and ‌several other pharmaceutical firms have followed its example.

From the start of February, ‌AstraZeneca plans to move to a full U.S. listing, rather than the current depositary receipts structure.

Suarez, during his tenure in Spain, has overseen ‍the launch of a new global hub in Barcelona and led the company's digital health ⁠initiatives.

Suarez will take over his new responsibilities immediately and will be based at AstraZeneca's U.S. headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.

(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru and Bhanvi Satija in London; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Barbara Lewis)



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