AstraZeneca announces plans for new innovations for China

United Kingdom-based biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will add 10 to 15 new projects to the company's research and development pipeline in China each year, reflecting its increased investment and level of commitment in the country, a senior executive of the company said in a recent exclusive interview.

Announcing Shanghai as a global strategic site for the company in February, AstraZeneca currently has over 200 projects in its R&D pipeline in China, which plays an important part in the company's overall blueprint of developing new medicine for China and the world, said Sharon Barr, the executive vice-president of biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, during an interview in Shanghai on Friday.

AstraZeneca's R&D in China has not only become 100 percent synchronized with the world but has also led global drug R&D for some diseases with high incidence rates in China, such as cardiovascular diseases.

"We're excited that Shanghai became AstraZeneca's fifth global strategic site, and it integrates R&D, commercial, and production operations. It will function as an important strategic center for the company's global strategy, R&D and long-term development," Barr said.

UK's Cambridge, Boston and Gaithersburg in the United States, and Gothenburg, Sweden, are the company's four other strategic centers which also focuses on R&D.

"Our presence here in Shanghai is absolutely crucial to achieving our bold ambition for AstraZeneca to be a pioneer in science and to create transformative medicines," said Barr. "We continue to grow with our pipeline and our investments here in Shanghai and across China. We intend to deliver at least 100 new medicines or indications in China over the next five years."

The very rich, vibrant ecosystem of the medical and healthcare sector in China is extremely impressive, said Barr. Since 2023, AstraZeneca has entered into licensing agreements with nine innovative, engaging biotech firms in China, with an accumulative approximate value of $6.5 billion.

In terms of the biopharma sector, the company has entered into three agreements with three Chinese biotech firms to develop potentially new therapies in the areas of hypercholesterolemia, metabolic disease and dysfunction, weight management, and cell therapy respectively.

"The combined anticipated value of the three agreements is $2 billion. But more importantly, it gives us the capabilities that we need to create truly transformative medicines for patients worldwide at an accelerated pace," she said.

With the theme "Transforming the Lives of Patients with Chronic and Rare Diseases", the AstraZeneca R&D China Science Day was held in Shanghai from Friday to Saturday.

About 50 top experts, scholars and business leaders from Chinese scientific research institutions, clinical research centers, local innovative enterprises and overseas universities attended the event to deliver academic presentations and discuss ways of accelerating cutting-edge scientific and medical research to benefit patients with chronic and rare diseases and to facilitate global pharmaceutical innovation. The event attracted over 10,000 participants both onsite and online.

Since 2022, the AstraZeneca R&D China Science Day has been held five times, advancing every year in terms of scale, influence and the depth of academic exchange.