CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and AstraZeneca Enter Third AI-Driven Drug Discovery Collaboration Focused on siRNA Therapeutics for Kidney Diseases

These platforms rely onCSPC's ProprietaryAIMolecular Design Models and Fully Automated High-Throughput Screening Systems, enabling efficient screening of high-Nucleic acid drug molecules with activity and enhanced extrahepatic targeting potential.

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

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

Notably, this marks the third time AstraZeneca and CSPC have reached a collaboration agreement on AI-driven drug development.

Since 2025To date, AstraZeneca and CSPC have reachedThree in-depth collaborations, all related to CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Limited'sRelated to the AI drug discovery platform, the total cooperation amount reaches up to $25.6 billion.

• In June 2025, AstraZeneca and CSPC entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly discover and develop novel oral small-molecule drug candidates, leveraging CSPC’s AI-driven high-efficiency drug discovery platform. The total potential transaction value is approximately USD 5.33 billion.
  

• In January 2026, AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration with CSPC to leverage CSPC’sProprietary sustained-release drug delivery technology platform and AI-based peptide drug discovery platform for the development of innovative long-acting peptide drugs. This collaboration’sUpfront payment of $1.2 billion, with a potential total transaction value of up to $18.5 billion。

• In July 2026, AstraZeneca and CSPC once again collaborated to develop novel small nucleic acid drug candidates by leveraging CSPC’s proprietary siRNA drug discovery platform and extrahepatic targeted delivery platform. The upfront payment for this collaboration was USD 30 million.The potential total transaction amount is $1.77 billion.

In addition, in October 2024, AstraZeneca$100 million in upfront payments and $1.92 billion in potential milestone payments received from CSPCof YS2302018Exclusive global license for development, manufacturing, and commercialization.YS2302018 is AI-driven by CSPCDiscovered by the Small Molecule Drug Design PlatformLipoprotein(a) Inhibitors.

Whether it is AI-discovered moleculesThe Introduction of YS2302018 Marks the Third CollaborationCSPCLaunch AI-driven drug discovery collaborations,This deepening strategic mutual trust,This fully demonstrates the global competitiveness of CSPC’s AI drug discovery platform—its technological prowess and platform value have been repeatedly validated by top-tier international pharmaceutical companies.

Currently, AI technology has fully permeated core stages of drug development, including target identification, virtual screening, and de novo design, having already"Efficiency-Enhancing Tools" Upgraded to the Core Engine Driving Innovation.

Meanwhile, as the application of AI in pharmaceuticals is extending from R&D to production and quality control,Quality control becomes increasingly important.