China's CanSino in mRNA vaccine deal with AstraZeneca

Cansino Biologics

08/08/2023 12:20

By Casey Hall
       SHANGHAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - CanSino Biologics  6185.HK 
has agreed with AstraZeneca  AZN.L  to provide "contract
development and manufacturing services" to support the
Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine
programme, the Chinese company said on Tuesday.
    In a filing to Shanghai's stock exchange, CanSino said it
would manufacture and supply unspecified mRNA products to
AstraZeneca. It did not disclose the value of the deal.
    AstraZeneca did not have an immediate comment on the
announcement.
    In China, which has relied on locally produced COVID-19
vaccines rather than allowing mRNA products from foreign
manufacturers to be imported, mRNA vaccines are still not in
widespread use.
    The country approved in March its first homegrown mRNA
vaccine against COVID-19, developed by CSPC Pharmaceutical Group
 1093.HK . 
    CanSino has been working on its own mRNA COVID-19 vaccine,
and said in February it was in discussion with Chinese
regulators around the protocol for a late-stage study for its
COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine, CS-2034.
    AstraZeneca is China's largest drugmaker and is doubling
down on the world's No.2 pharmaceutical market amid slumping
sales of its COVID vaccine.
    At an event in China in May, its China president pledged to
"build a local, transnational company that loves the Communist
Party and loves the country".
    The cooperation deal comes only a month after China's
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told foreign pharmaceuticals firms
including AstraZeneca at a roundtable meeting that they can
expect "more development opportunities".
    It also comes after vaccine maker Moderna  MRNA.O , which
has said that it was keen to sell its mRNA vaccine to China,
announced a deal last month to develop and manufacture mRNA
medicines in the country.

 (Reporting by Casey Hall; Additional reporting by Ludwig Burger
in Frankfurt; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Mark Potter)
 ((Casey.Hall@thomsonreuters.com;))