AstraZeneca Invests RMB 190 Million to Expand Antidiabetic Drug Production Line in China

Recently, at the first "Three Highs and Three Slows" Comprehensive Prevention and Treatment Industry Conference held in Taizhou, AstraZeneca announced the official signing of a new production line investment cooperation agreement with the Taizhou Pharmaceutical High-Tech Zone, investing an additional 190 million RMB to build the Andasim new production line.

This move is part of AstraZeneca's expansion plan to produce its recently approved diabetes drug for the Chinese market.

Join the Battle for the Diabetes Market

According to reports, the Taizhou base is AstraZeneca's global production and supply base for diabetes products, with an expected annual output value of 10 billion RMB. AstraZeneca’s leading product, Forxiga (Dapagliflozin), is also manufactured at the Taizhou base. In 2024, the sales of Forxiga in China are expected to exceed 1 billion USD, surpassing Tagrisso to become AstraZeneca’s top product.

According to data cited by AstraZeneca, the number of people with cardiovascular disease in China has reached 330 million, the number of people with chronic kidney disease is 120 million, and the number of people with diabetes is 141 million. Among them, more than 29% of patients have two or more concurrent risk factors for "three highs" (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar), which multiplies the risk of serious cardiovascular events and will further increase the economic burden on patients.

Anda Shi is a new compound preparation for type 2 diabetes approved by AstraZeneca for marketing in China on November 22, 2023 — dapagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride sustained-release tablets. It combines two complementary anti-hyperglycemic drugs: dapagliflozin (SGLT2 inhibitor) and metformin hydrochloride sustained-release tablets. It is also currently the only compound preparation in China that is taken once daily at a fixed dose, containing both an SGLT2 inhibitor and metformin hydrochloride sustained-release agent.

AstraZeneca's Taizhou production and supply base was put into operation in 2014, with a total investment of approximately $300 million. In 2022, AstraZeneca announced an additional investment of nearly $27 million to build a production line for the patented hypoglycemic drug Forxiga in Taizhou. Currently, the production line has been completed, with an annual capacity of over 2 billion tablets and an expected annual output value of more than 10 billion RMB.

This expansion aligns with AstraZeneca's broader strategy to strengthen its presence in the Chinese pharmaceutical market and contribute to addressing the healthcare challenges posed by diabetes.

Double Down on China Region

Since entering the Chinese market in 1993, AstraZeneca has been committed to innovation and advancements in healthcare, with over 2 billion US dollars of substantial investment and the launch of nearly 40 innovative drugs underscoring its focus on the Chinese market.

In 2022, AstraZeneca's sales in China reached $4.5 billion, accounting for approximately 13% of its global sales. Through this new investment, AstraZeneca aims to further strengthen its position and contribute to healthcare solutions in China.

At the CIIE held in November last year, AstraZeneca announced several major cooperation agreements, further increasing its investment in China.

On the first day of the CIIE, AstraZeneca signed multiple cooperation agreements with Jiangsu Province, announcing plans to invest nearly 400 million US dollars in building a new small molecule drug factory in Wuxi. It is expected that small molecule drugs to be launched in China will be formulated and packaged at the new Wuxi factory, supplying both the Chinese and overseas markets.

In addition, AstraZeneca has also entered into strategic cooperation on Wuxi Smart City Health Big Data with Wuxi High-tech Zone, Wuxi Big Data Group, LinkDoc Technology, and Zhi Zhong Medical.

AstraZeneca, together with Wuxi Industrial Development Group and Wuxi National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, jointly initiated the Wuxi iCampus Fund, which will make an equity investment in Beijing DeepNanoSense. The fund will also support the company’s city-wide diabetes diagnosis and treatment model in Wuxi. Additionally, AstraZeneca will continue to assist in promoting the overseas expansion of the company’s products.

In addition to engaging in intensive cooperation with enterprises in Jiangsu Province, AstraZeneca has also reached multiple agreements with Shandong Province, officially launching Phase II of the Qingdao Inhalation Aerosol Production and Supply Base project. In 2023, AstraZeneca continued to increase its investment in the Qingdao Inhalation Aerosol Production Base project, bringing the total investment to 700 million US dollars.

Source:

1. AstraZeneca Invests Nearly 200 Million Yuan in Building a New Diabetes Drug Production Line in Taizhou; BioValley

2. New Investment of 190 Million Yuan! On the First Day of CIIE, Our District Signs New Cooperation with AstraZeneca!; Taizhou High-tech News

Editor: Pea Shooter

Disclaimer: This article is an integrated content and does not represent the views of this platform. If it involves issues related to the content, copyright, and other problems, please leave a message on this platform, and we will handle it promptly.