**AstraZeneca (AZ) has said it will be investing $2.5bn in China over the next five years to “further advance life sciences” in the country.**
The investment includes a new global research and development (R&D) centre designed to advance AZ’s early-stage research and clinical development.
The site will be located in the Beijing International Pharmaceutical Innovation Park (BioPark) and will be enabled by an artificial intelligence (AI) and data science laboratory, the company said.
AZ’s commitment, which is part of a strategic partnership with the Beijing Municipal Government and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Office, also includes two collaboration and licensing agreements: one with Syneron Bio to develop macro-cyclic peptides, and one with Harbour BioMed to discover multi-specific antibodies.
The company will also be launching a joint venture with BioKangtai to advance new vaccines for respiratory and other infectious diseases, and establishing a strategic partnership with the Beijing Cancer Hospital in translational research, data science and clinical development.
AZ’s chief executive officer, Pascal Soriot, said: “This $2.5bn investment reflects our belief in the world-class life sciences ecosystem in Beijing, the extensive opportunities that exist for collaboration and access to talent, and our continued commitment to China.
“Our sixth strategic R&D centre will partner with the cutting-edge biology and AI science in Beijing and be a critical part of our global efforts to bring innovative medicines to patients worldwide.”
The announcement comes just four months after AZ unveiled a $3.5bn investment in the US aimed at expanding its research and manufacturing footprint by 2026.
The funds will go towards an R&D centre in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as a biologics manufacturing facility in Maryland.
AZ’s cell therapy manufacturing capacity on the West and East Coasts and specialty manufacturing in Texas will also be expanded, the company said in the November announcement, adding that $2bn of the investment will be dedicated to creating more than 1,000 highly-skilled jobs.
The company also said in May that it will be building a $1.5bn antibody drug conjugate manufacturing facility in Singapore, with the facility expected to be operational by 2029.