AstraZeneca is paying CSPC Pharmaceutical Group $110 million up front to tap that China-based biotech’s artificial intelligence-driven technology for discovering and developing novel oral drugs.
The R&D agreement announced Friday does not specify any targets or indications. But AstraZeneca said the alliance includes a preclinical small molecule oral drug for immunological diseases. That could be a key dosing advantage, as many immunological drugs are biologic medicines that must be administered as injections or infusions.
AstraZeneca got a closer look at CSPC’s drug research capabilities last year. Last October, the pharma giant paid $100 million up front to license a preclinical CSPC drug in development for the high cholesterol disorder dyslipidemia, which is characterized by high levels of the cholesterol-transporting protein lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a). Levels of Lp(a) can already be lowered by biologic and genetic medicines that target a protein called PCSK9, but all of these products are administered by injection. An oral dyslipidemia drug would give AstraZeneca a way to stand apart in the field.
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The new agreement with CSPC calls for the two companies to work together to discover and develop preclinical drug candidates. CSPC will carry out the research at its facility in Shijiazhuang City, China, using its AI-driven drug discovery platform. This technology analyzes the binding patterns that target proteins have with existing molecules.
AstraZeneca receives the right to exercise options for exclusive licenses to develop and commercialize drug candidates stemming from the collaboration. If any of those molecules reach the market, CSPC is in line to receive up to $3.6 billion in sales milestone payments, plus royalties on product sales. Sharon Barr, AstraZeneca executive vice president and head of biopharmaceuticals R&D, said in a prepared statement that the CSPC collaboration underscores the pharma giant’s commitment to chronic diseases.
“Forming strong collaborations allows us to leverage our complementary scientific expertise to support the rapid discovery of high-quality novel therapeutic molecules to deliver the next-generation medicines,” Barr said.
The collaboration with CSPC comes as AstraZeneca builds up its presence in China. In March, the company announced it would spend $2.5 billion over the next five years to build a new R&D center in Beijing. The planned facility will be AstraZeneca’s second in China, following a research center opened in Shanghai.
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