AstraZeneca Deepens China Commitment with Multiple Government, Industry, and Economic Partnerships

Shanghai, November 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AstraZeneca, a global leading biopharmaceutical company, made its debut at the second China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as the "CIIE"). Under the theme "Bringing Global Innovation to Benefit Healthy China," AstraZeneca comprehensively showcased its remarkable achievements in innovative drug research and development, as well as in promoting emerging technologies and healthcare innovation.

Leveraging the global platform of the China International Import Expo, AstraZeneca announced several major collaborations to further deepen its development layout in China: partnering with CICC Capital to establish a global healthcare industry fund; upgrading its existing Shanghai R&D platform into a global R&D center and establishing an AI innovation center; collaborating with India’s largest pharmaceutical companyOne ofReached cooperation intentions to introduce its multiple oncology drugs; partnered with local enterprises to develop several small-molecule drugs; attracted new innovative companies from home and abroad to settle in the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park; after establishing its northern headquarters, it built three additional regional headquarters, and will soon introduce global innovative drugs for the treatment of cancer, hyperkalemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).CIIEAstraZeneca’s signed transaction value has exceeded RMB 12 billion in the past two days.

HaiIntegration of Domestic and Foreign Industrial Capital Accelerating Chinese Innovation to Benefit AllBall

On the second day of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), AstraZeneca and CICC Capital made a major announcement that they would jointly establish a global healthcare industry fund. Leveraging AstraZeneca’s resource advantages from its deep engagement in the healthcare sector and CICC Capital’s expertise in investment management and capital operations, the fund will focus on the healthcare industry, expand overseas introductions and local incubation, and help bring Chinese innovations to benefit the world. The fund will target the entire industrial chain, including global new drug R&D, production and operations, and commercial development, providing comprehensive support for innovative enterprises worldwide. Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, stated, “Announcing the establishment of this fund at the CIIE holds special significance. It marks another significant step by AstraZeneca in introducing high-quality global innovative resources into China.”The Fundis AstraZeneca inGlobally DrivenHealthcare Industry Fund, also AstraZeneca’s first attempt in China to connect with capital, with an expected future financing scale target of $1 billion.

ZhengCorporate Collaboration Further Upgraded Reshaping the Global Innovation LandscapeFigure

On the same day, AstraZeneca also announced a comprehensive upgrade of its strategic partnership with the Shanghai Municipal Government. The two parties will collaborate in areas such as new drug research and development (R&D), artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, and big data integration services to support the development of local medical innovation and benefit patients in China and around the world. Through this collaboration, AstraZeneca’s existing Shanghai R&D platform will be upgraded into a global R&D center, focusing on disease areas with the most urgent patient needs. By developing new capabilities in AI, big data, bioanalysis, and translational medicine, the initiative aims to further enhance China’s strategic position within the global new drug development network and leverage its core role in early-stage R&D and global market access. This strategic transformation will facilitate the early development and incubation of more domestic and global innovative drugs in China, accelerating Chinese patients’ access to cutting-edge therapies worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, co-established by AstraZeneca and the Wuxi Municipal Government, secured numerous new cooperation intentions during this session of the China International Import Expo (CIIE). The first batch of resident enterprises, India’s Tricog Health Technologies and Russia’s Semantic Hub Information Technology Co., Ltd., officially received their business licenses. Additionally, Novoheart Biotechnology Co., Ltd. from Hong Kong, China, and Ninehealth Global Ltd. from the United Kingdom signed residency agreements with the park, while the Australian Trade and Investment Commission also executed a letter of intent for strategic cooperation with the innovation park. This marks another influx of new members into the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, following the settlement of the first ten enterprises in September this year.

HoldContinuously Introduce Global New Drugs and Diagnostic and Treatment Regimens Benefiting More Chinese PatientsPatient

As an international open platform for sharing, exchange, and cooperation, the China International Import Expo (CIIE) has created more opportunities for companies from various countries to enter the Chinese market. On the morning of November 6, AstraZeneca attended the key project announcement and signing ceremony on the interpretation of Beijing’s new round of policies for opening-up, hosted by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, and formally signed a cooperation agreement with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries of India. The agreement announces the introduction of multiple oncology drugs from Sun Pharma into China, marking another example of AstraZeneca leveraging the CIIE platform to accelerate the entry of high-quality global pharmaceuticals into the Chinese market.This time enteringAt the Expo, AstraZeneca will also bring Linzess, the world’s first guanylate cyclase agonist.^®(Linaclotide) will bring hope to approximately 14 million adult patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in China.

The CIIE has also provided fertile ground for fostering local industrial collaboration and stimulating local innovation potential. During the second CIIE, AstraZeneca partnered with local enterprises to advance the development of multiple small-molecule drugs: AstraZeneca entered into a global exclusive licensing agreement with Antengene Corporation to promote the global clinical development and commercialization of the candidate drug AZD0364 for the treatment of lung cancer and other solid tumors. AstraZeneca also reached a global exclusive licensing agreement with Shanghai Haoyu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the novel small-molecule anti-tumor inhibitor AZD4547. In clinical studies, the small-molecule inhibitor AZD4547 demonstrated good tolerability and showed favorable responses in patients with tumors harboring FGFR alterations. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca signed a global exclusive licensing agreement with Ningbo Taikang Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. for AZD3229, a small-molecule anti-tumor inhibitor targeting the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

When discussing the significance of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in introducing global new drugs and enhancing local pharmaceutical R&D capabilities, Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, stated, “The CIIE has demonstrated the immense potential of the Chinese market to foreign investors, including AstraZeneca, providing strong impetus for the introduction of overseas new drugs and the development of locally innovated medicines. AstraZeneca hopes to leverage the CIIE platform to bring more life-changing innovative drugs and diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to China, working hand in hand with domestic and international partners to further advance the globalization of healthcare in China.”

The InauguralAt the China International Import Expo, AstraZeneca imported Fluimucil from Zambon Group, a renowned pharmaceutical company in Italy^®(N-acetylcysteine) inhalation solution is expected to reach an import value of $100 million by the end of 2019, benefiting 7 million patients. Similarly, Arikayce, the first “first-in-class” new drug developed in China for the treatment of renal anemia, jointly developed by FibroGen and AstraZeneca, was launched last year.^®(Roxadustat) has also been successfully launched this year, and its development mechanism, the “oxygen-sensing pathway,” was recently honored with the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Meanwhile, at the China International Import Expo, AstraZeneca announced that, following the establishment of its Northern China headquarters in Beijing this September, it will set up three major regional headquarters for Western, Southern, and Eastern China in Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou, respectively. This will create a new development pattern in China, comprising its China headquarters in Shanghai plus four major regional headquarters.All districtsThe regional headquarters will establish separate commercial innovation centers and will soon introduce global innovative drugs and treatment solutions for diseases such as cancer, hyperkalemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This initiative will help leverage the economic advantages and resources of the regional headquarters, empower grassroots markets, deepen the penetration of innovative strategies, and benefit more patients in China.FutureOver the next five years, AstraZeneca will continue to accelerate the introduction of new medicines, with an estimated 55 new products and new indications expected to be approved in China.

Enter"New" at the Expo  AstraZeneca's Smart Healthcare Sparks EnthusiasmAgreement

Pascal Soriot, Global CEO of AstraZeneca, attended the opening ceremony of this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE) and delivered remarks at the sub-forum on Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Development. He stated, “Since the launch of China’s reform and opening-up policy, the country’s rapid development has captured global attention. China has become AstraZeneca’s second-largest market worldwide and a key platform for business growth, playing an increasingly vital role in our global innovation strategy. We are honored to participate as an exhibitor at the CIIE for two consecutive years. Through this open platform for exchange, we aim to share more of our visions for the future of healthcare and promote an interconnected ecosystem of medical innovation.”

At this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE), following the launch of its eight integrated diagnosis-and-treatment solutions covering the full care continuum last year, AstraZeneca unveiled six new solutions for the public, targeting cardiovascular health, nephrology, respiratory diseases, pharmacy, gynecologic oncology, and county-level healthcare. These include the “China Pharmacy Innovation Center,” “Cardiac Rehabilitation Center,” “Smart Healthcare Consortium,” “Chronic Kidney Disease Full-Course Management Center,” “Integrated Women’s Oncology Prevention and Treatment Center – Ovarian Cancer,” and “Integrated Women’s Oncology Prevention and Treatment Center – Breast Cancer.”CurrentlyAstraZeneca-supported innovative solutions have been successfully implemented in over 1,400 hospitals across China.

Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca booth showcased to the public a range of innovative healthcare scenarios across therapeutic areas including respiratory, cardiovascular, oncology, gastrointestinal, metabolic, and renal diseases, presenting refreshing new technologies for the future of medicine:

The China International Import Expo (CIIE) has established an open platform for global trade in goods and services, fostering shared prosperity in the global economy and promoting the mutual integration and exchange of cultural concepts. Seizing the opportunity presented by the second CIIE, AstraZeneca stated that it will continue to deepen its roots in China, actively embrace collaboration, and accelerate the convergence of global innovative expertise in China, thereby helping “China Innovation” benefit patients worldwide.