Working together on high priority targets, the collaboration aims to advance the discovery and development of novel oral candidates, with the potential to treat diseases across multiple indications, the companies state.

“This strategic research collaboration underscores our commitment to innovation to tackle chronic diseases which impact over two billion people globally. 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,” says Sharon Barr, Executive Vice President and Head of BioPharmaceuticals R&D.

AI-enabled research

The research will be carried out by CSPC, in Shijiazhuang City and will utilize their AI-driven, dual-engine efficient drug discovery platform. This platform uses AI technology to analyze the binding patterns of target proteins with existing compound molecules, conduct targeted optimization, with the aim of selecting highly effective small molecules with excellent developability.

Presence in China

The collaboration furthers AstraZeneca’s presence in China following the USD 2.5bn investment in Beijing announced earlier this year and strengthens the ongoing collaboration with CSPC.

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Financial considerations

Under the terms of the agreement, CSPC will receive an upfront payment of USD 110 million, and is also eligible to receive up to USD 1.62 billion in potential development milestone payments and up to USD 3.6 billion in sales milestone payments, plus potential single digit royalties based on annual net sales of the products.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will have rights to exercise options for exclusive licenses to develop and commercialise worldwide candidates identified under this agreement.