AstraZeneca Invests $2.5 Billion to Establish Global Strategic R&D Center, Support Biotech Agreements, and Boost Manufacturing in China
With the investment, AstraZeneca will establish a second global strategic R&D center in Beijing as well as support major research and manufacturing agreements to further advance life sciences in the country.
Sean K - stock.adobe.com
On March 21, 2025, AstraZeneca announced that it plans to invest $2.5 billion in Beijing over the next five years to establish a new global strategic R&D center. The investment also aims to support major research and manufacturing agreements to further advance life sciences in China. This investment is part of the company’s strategic partnership with the Beijing Municipal Government and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Office. The investment includes agreements with three biotech companies: Harbour BioMed, Syneron Bio, and BioKangtai (1).
The new R&D center in Beijing will be AstraZeneca’s second such center in China, following the opening of the first R&D center in Shanghai. The new center in Beijing marks the company’s sixth such center worldwide and will be aimed at advancing early stage research and clinical development. The Beijing center will include new state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) and a data science laboratory, and will be located near leading biotechs, research hospitals, and the National Medical Products Administration in the Beijing International Pharmaceutical Innovation Park (BioPark). The new center is expected to grow AstraZeneca’s Beijing workforce to 1700 employees, according to a company press release (1).
“This $2.5 billion investment reflects our belief in the world-class life sciences ecosystem in Beijing, the extensive opportunities that exist for collaboration and access to talent, and our continued commitment to China. Our sixth strategic R&D center will partner with the cutting-edge biology and AI science in Beijing and be a critical part of our global efforts to bring innovative medicines to patients worldwide,” said Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer, AstraZeneca, in the press release (1).
In addition to building up the new R&D center, AstraZeneca also plans to establish new R&D collaborations in Beijing, including a strategic partnership with the Beijing Cancer Hospital, under which the company will advance translational research, data science, and clinical development. The company is also signing two collaboration and licensing agreements. One of these agreements is with Harbour BioMed under which the companies will discover multi-specific antibodies. The other collaboration is with Syneron Bio for the development of macro-cyclic peptides.
In addition to those two collaborations, AstraZeneca is also launching a new joint venture with BioKangtai. This joint venture will develop, manufacture, and commercialize innovative vaccines for respiratory and other infectious diseases. These vaccines will serve patients in China and globally. Through the joint venture, AstraZeneca will have its first and only vaccine manufacturing facility in China, to be located in the Beijing BioPark, according to the company in its press release.
This investment follows the February 2025 announcement in which FibroGen said it is selling its China subsidiary to AstraZeneca for approximately $160 million (2). The transaction is expected to close by mid-2025. Upon closing, AstraZeneca will obtain all rights to roxadustat in China. Roxadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor for treating anemia in chronic kidney disease. A regulatory decision is also pending for use in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia.
Under the purchase agreement, FibroGen will maintain its rights to roxadustat in the United States and in all markets not licensed to Astellas Pharma. FibroGen continues to evaluate a development plan for roxadustat in the treatment of anemia associated with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (LR-MDS). The company plans to meet with FDA in the 2025 second quarter to establish the potential next steps for the development program for roxadustat in the US (2).
References
1. AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca to Invest $2.5 Billion in New Global Strategic R&D Centre, Biotech Agreements and Manufacturing in Beijing. Press Release. March 21, 2025.
2. FibroGen. FibroGen Announces the Sale of FibroGen China to AstraZeneca for Approximately $160 Million. Press Release. Feb. 20, 2025.
