CSPC Pharmaceutical Group (01093.HK) Enters into Collaboration, Option, and License Agreement with AstraZeneca for Development of siRNA Therapeutics

Zhitong Finance APP News: CSPC (01093) announced that the Group has entered into a collaboration, option, and license agreement with global biopharmaceutical leader AstraZeneca to establish a strategic R&D partnership, leveraging the Group’s proprietary siRNA drug discovery platform and extrahepatic targeted delivery platform to develop novel small nucleic acid candidate drugs.

These platforms leverage the Group’s proprietary AI-driven molecular design models and fully automated high-throughput screening systems to efficiently identify nucleic acid drug molecules with high potency and enhanced extrahepatic targeting potential.

Under the terms of the agreement, CSPC and AstraZeneca will jointly discover and develop preclinical candidate compounds (PCCs) targeting two specific targets, with potential for treating multiple indications in kidney diseases. For each PCC program, AstraZeneca will have the option to obtain exclusive rights for development, manufacturing, and commercialization either globally or outside China (as applicable). CSPC will retain the rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize one of the PCCs in China.

The Group will also receive an upfront payment of USD 30 million under the agreement, and is entitled to receive potential R&D milestone payments of up to USD 540 million and potential sales milestone payments of up to USD 1.2 billion, as well as potential single-digit royalty payments based on the annual net sales of the relevant products.