AstraZeneca expanding research and development pipeline in China

AstraZeneca, a United Kingdom-based biopharmaceutical giant, 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 an 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, executive vice-president of biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, during an interview in Shanghai on Sept 27.

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.

"Integrating R&D, commercial, and production operations, Shanghai, as AstraZeneca's fifth global strategic site, will function as an important strategic center for the company's global strategy, R&D and long-term development," Barr said.

Cambridge in England, Boston and Gaithersburg in the United States, and Gothenburg, Sweden, are the company's four other strategic centers that all have a focus on R&D.

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

"This gives us the capabilities that we need to create truly transformative medicines for patients worldwide at an accelerated pace," Barr added.

The number of biopharmaceutical-related enterprises registered in China has exhibited a rising tendency over the past decade. More than 3,100 such enterprises were newly registered last year, and there are currently 46,000 enterprises in this industry in the country, data from business registrations tracker Qichacha showed.

Themed "Transforming the Lives of Patients with Chronic and Rare Diseases", the AstraZeneca R&D China Science Day was held in Shanghai in late September.

About 50 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 scientific and medical research to benefit patients and to facilitate global pharmaceutical innovation.