A pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced today (January 30) that it will invest $15 billion to expand its drug production and research and development centers. This refers to the period until 2030.
This investment will rely on collaboration within the Sino-UK healthcare (eco)system, to provide patients both in China and the rest of the world with cutting-edge therapeutic treatments, writes the New Economy.
The money will be aimed at improving the company's capacity in the field of cell therapy and radioconjugates, and the investments will cover the entire value chain: from the discovery of new drugs and clinical development to production.
The investment, announced during the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will strengthen cooperation Kine and the United Kingdom in health innovation.
"Building on the 2024 acquisition of Gracell Biotechnologies, AstraZeneca will also become the first global biopharmaceutical leader with complete, end-to-end cell therapy capabilities in China," the company said in a statement.
Strammer said during the meetings that AstraZeneca's expansion in China would support thousands of jobs in the United Kingdom.
China as a driver of scientific innovation
Pascal Sorio, CEO of AstraZeneca, said China has become a key driver of scientific innovation and a guardian of global public health.
"By expanding our capacity in breakthrough therapies, we will strengthen our contribution to China's development and, most importantly, bring next-generation therapies to patients," said Sorio.
AstraZeneca already has its R&D centers in China, i.e. in Beijing and Shanghai, which collaborate with more than 500 clinics on research into new medical devices.
The company will also develop existing manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, Taizhou, Qingdao and Beijing, which provide drugs to patients in China and 70 other global markets, as well as establish new locations to be announced later.
In total, these investments will increase AstraZeneca's workforce in China to more than 20.000 and create thousands of additional jobs across the healthcare ecosystem, the company said.
Since entering the Chinese market in 1993, AstraZeneca has introduced more than 40 innovative drugs, focusing on therapeutic areas such as oncology, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, rare diseases, as well as immunology.
