CSPC Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca announce potential $18.5B deal to develop long-acting peptide therapies

On January 30, CSPC Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca have entered into a strategic collaboration and license agreement with a potential total value of $18.5 billion to develop innovative long-acting peptide medicines. The partnership will leverage CSPC's proprietary sustained-release delivery technology and AI-driven peptide discovery platforms.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca obtains exclusive global rights—excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan—to develop, manufacture, and commercialize CSPC's once-monthly injectable weight management portfolio. This includes SYH2082, a clinical-ready long-acting GLP1R/GIPR agonist that is advancing into Phase I trials, along with three additional preclinical programs with diverse mechanisms of action. Together, they aim to deliver longer-lasting therapeutic benefits for individuals with obesity and weight-related conditions.

Beyond this specific portfolio license, the two companies will engage in a broader strategic collaboration focused on discovering novel peptide molecules and developing long-acting delivery products. CSPC will continue to advance its existing preclinical long-acting peptide pipeline and will also discover and develop further innovative long-acting peptide candidates for AstraZeneca. The collaboration will extend to four additional new programs, bringing the total number of partnered assets to eight.

Financially, CSPC will receive an upfront payment of $1.2 billion and is eligible for up to $3.5 billion in potential development milestone payments and up to $13.8 billion in potential commercial milestone payments. CSPC will also receive tiered royalties of up to double-digit percentages on the annual net sales of the licensed products.

CSPC retains full rights to all licensed programs within Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan.