AstraZeneca will invest $15 billion in China through 2030, the British pharmaceutical giant announced Thursday during the UK prime minister’s visit to Beijing.
Astra is the biggest foreign drugmaker in China, and has been ramping up its investments there despite scrutiny from authorities: Beijing detained Astra’s top local executive in 2024.
The move reflects the recent boom in China’s biotech ecosystem, marked by thousands of new startups, innovative research and development, and a speedy clinical trial process, a pharma-focused outlet wrote. More than a third of biopharma licensing deals last year involved a Chinese firm.
The leaders of the UK and China, pledging closer ties, also reached other agreements, including 30-day visa-free travel to the mainland for Britons.
