AstraZeneca and CSPC Pharmaceutical are strengthening their partnership by establishing a new biologics manufacturing joint venture in China.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two companies have signed a contract to form a 51-49 joint venture manufacturing facility in Shijiazhuang, China, where CSPC\u2019s headquarters are located, the Chinese company said in a release<\/a> (PDF) Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n CSPC, which contributes 51% of the capital, will offer its AI-driven good manufacturing practice system, as well as drug manufacturing construction and operational capabilities, which will be combined with AstraZeneca\u2019s experience in global quality standards and supply chain management.\u00a0<\/p>\n The business will initially focus on producing \u201cmutually agreed biologics drug substances for the global markets,\u201d CSPC said, adding that the two owners will further explore adding more products to the mix.<\/p>\n The exact size of investment was not immediately disclosed. The money will likely count toward the $15 billion total that AZ committed to investing in China through 2030, as part of a plan unveiled at the beginning of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n The latest CSPC enterprise follows a string of manufacturing expansions by AZ in China.\u00a0<\/p>\n In March, AZ announced it would build<\/a> a commercial cell-therapy manufacturing base in Shanghai to supply autologous CAR-T therapies to China and other Asian markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n A year before that, the British pharma outlined<\/a> a $2.5 billion outlay to boost its presence in Beijing. Part of that initiative includes a joint venture with BioKangtai that will give AZ its first vaccine manufacturing facility in China.\u00a0<\/p>\n Through a series of investments now totaling<\/a> about $886 million, AZ is building a production compound in Qingdao, China, for inhalants such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease inhaler Breztri Aerosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n The latest manufacturing tie-up also follows years of R&D collaborations between AZ and CSPC. In 2024, AZ paid<\/a> the Shijiazhuang-based company $100 million upfront for a preclinical oral Lp(a) inhibitor for cardiovascular disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n