REG - AstraZeneca PLC - AstraZeneca invests $15bn in China through 2030

AstraZenecaAnnouncement

Thu 10:00

For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below:
https://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20260129:nRSc9165Qa&default-theme=true

RNS Number : 9165Q  AstraZeneca PLC  29 January 2026

29 January 2026

 

AstraZeneca plans to invest $15 billion in China through 2030 to pioneer the
next-generation of innovative medicines

 

Landmark investment will expand AstraZeneca's capabilities to discover,
develop, and manufacture transformative new treatments in China

 

Investment will support delivery of AstraZeneca's 2030 ambition

 

AstraZeneca today announced $15 billion investment in China through 2030 to
expand medicines manufacturing and R&D. This investment will leverage the
country's scientific excellence, advanced manufacturing, and China-UK
healthcare ecosystem collaborations to deliver cutting-edge treatments to
patients across China and globally.

 

Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, said: "Unlocking opportunities for British
businesses across the globe and delivering for working people back home is
always the driving force behind my international engagements. AstraZeneca's
expansion and leadership in China will help the British manufacturer continue
to grow - supporting thousands of UK jobs. The multi-billion pound investment
announced today from AstraZeneca, alongside partnerships from some of our
country's leading universities, furthers research and development in the UK
which is helping to power our world class life sciences sector."

 

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said: "Today's landmark
investment of $15 billion begins an exciting next chapter for AstraZeneca in
China, which has become a critical contributor to scientific innovation,
advanced manufacturing, and global public health. By expanding our
capabilities in breakthrough treatments like cell therapy and radioconjugates,
we will strengthen our contribution to China's high-quality development and,
most importantly, bring next-generation modalities to patients."

 

Recognising China's advanced science in new modalities, this investment will
significantly enhance the Company's cell therapy and radioconjugates
capabilities that are driving its broad and varied pipeline to help patients
with cancer, haematological conditions and autoimmune diseases, among others.
These investments span the value chain, from drug discovery and clinical
development to manufacturing, and bring Chinese innovation to the world
through our partnerships with leading biotechs including AbelZeta, CSPC,
Harbour BioMed, Jacobio and Syneron Bio. Building on the 2024 acquisition of
Gracell Biotechnologies, AstraZeneca will also become the first global
biopharmaceutical leader with end-to-end cell therapy capabilities in China.

 

These investments build on AstraZeneca's substantial R&D footprint,
including global strategic R&D centres in Beijing and Shanghai, which
collaborate with over 500 clinical hospitals, and have led on a large number
of global clinical trials in the past three years alone. The Company will also
develop its existing manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, Taizhou, Qingdao, and
Beijing, which provide high-quality medicines to patients in China and 70
markets worldwide, together with the establishment of new sites to be
announced. Together, these investments will grow the Company's highly skilled
workforce in China beyond 20,000 and create thousands of additional jobs
across the healthcare ecosystem.

 

The investment, announced during the UK Prime Minister's visit to China, will
strengthen China-UK collaboration in healthcare innovation and will benefit
the life sciences ecosystems of both countries. Building on its successful
ecosystem collaboration with the University of Cambridge and Beijing,
AstraZeneca is working with other pre-eminent research and financial
institutions - including the University of Oxford, the University of Glasgow,
King's College London, and HSBC - to establish further collaborations between
dynamic ecosystems in both countries.

 

This investment is fully aligned with the goals of Healthy China 2030 and will
prioritise delivery of China's 'Common Health' agenda, to expand prevention,
early detection, and access to innovative medicines for underserved
communities.

 

Notes

 

AstraZeneca in China

China is AstraZeneca's second-largest market and a strategic hub for global
innovation, home to two global R&D centres that have led 20 global
clinical trials to-date, four manufacturing sites that supply high-quality
medicines to over 70 markets, and commercial operations across five regional
hubs. Headquartered in Shanghai, AstraZeneca employs over 17,000 people in
China and, since 2023, has signed 16 global licensing agreements with 15
Chinese partners. Since entering China in 1993, AstraZeneca has introduced
over 40 innovative medicines, focusing on disease areas such as oncology,
respiratory, cardiovascular, renal & metabolic, gastrointestinal, rare
disease, and vaccines and immunology. The Company's innovative medicines
benefited 68 million patients in China in 2025 alone.

 

AstraZeneca (https://www.astrazeneca.com/)

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical
company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of
prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals,
including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory &
Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca's innovative medicines are
sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide.
Please visit astrazeneca.com (http://www.astrazeneca.com/)  and follow the
Company on Social Media @AstraZeneca
(https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrazeneca) .

 

Contacts

For details on how to contact the Investor Relations Team, please click here
(https://www.astrazeneca.com/investor-relations.html#Contacts) . For Media
contacts, click here (https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/contacts.html)
.

 

Matthew Bowden

Company Secretary

AstraZeneca PLC

 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact
rns@lseg.com (mailto:rns@lseg.com)
 or visit
www.rns.com (http://www.rns.com/)
.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our
Privacy Policy (https://www.lseg.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy)
.   END  MSCAKCBQCBKKFDB



            Copyright 2019 Regulatory News Service, all rights reserved