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Acknowledging China’s innovative biotech environment, UK-headquartered pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said it is confident of further investment in the country, and is working with local universities as well as startups to jointly build an innovation ecosystem.
The company opened a new global strategic research and development center in Beijing on October 26, its sixth globally and second in China. With an investment of $2.5 billion (£1.9 billion), the R&D center features an artificial intelligence and data science center to accelerate the translation of early-stage research into clinical development.
Along with the company’s global strategic R&D center in Shanghai, the Beijing center will lead new drug discoveries and clinical development, turning innovation into medicines. In particular, it will expand collaboration with local testing sites, universities and biotech companies to deepen understanding of diseases and promote innovation.
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca, said: “Our new global strategic R&D center will harness Beijing’s world-leading scientific ecosystem and AI capabilities to accelerate the next generation of innovative medicines. Working in partnership with China’s academic research and biotech community, we will combine cutting-edge technology and deep scientific expertise to transform patient care in China and around the world.”
He Jing, senior vice president and head of R&D China at AstraZeneca, said: “In 2024, Chinese biotech firms accounted for nearly a third of all global license-out deals, and the number of newly added clinical trials in China each year far exceeded that in the United States. This gives us more confidence to increase R&D investment in the country.”
In 2024, AstraZeneca invested $475 million (£361 million) in a new small molecule factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. It has also invested about $750 million (£570 million) in an inhalation aerosol manufacturing and supply site in Chengdu, Shandong province.
“Chinese biotech startups are lean and nimble. By leveraging the high efficiency of Chinese biotech startups in early R&D, as well as the global network of pharmaceutical multinational corporations, an innovative, highly efficient ecosystem can be built to enable more molecules to move to the clinical stage,” she said.
Yuan Shuai, deputy head of the investment department at China City Development Academy, said: “In the process of cooperation, pharmaceutical multinationals bring advanced R&D concepts, mature technological platforms and abundant financial support to accelerate the R&D process and enhance the quality of R&D. Meanwhile, they can take advantage of the flexibility of local startups and the insight of the domestic market to fit into local demand faster, better.” Together, a harmonious ecosystem can be built, allowing innovative products and solutions to be developed in China and launched into the global market, realizing the goal of ‘in China, for the world’.