AstraZeneca says it will build cell therapy base, innovation centre in Shanghai

SHANGHAI: AstraZeneca said on Thursday it will build a cell therapy manufacturing and supply base and an innovation centre in Shanghai, aiming to become the first global drugmaker with end-to-end cell therapy capabilities in China.

The cell therapy facility will be used to manufacture and supply CAR-T cell therapies for China and other Asian markets, the UK drugmaker said in a statement published on its Chinese social media account.

CAR-T therapies modify a patient’s immune cells to recognise a specific target and destroy cancer cells.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca told Reutersthat the cell therapy investment is part of its plan to invest $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand its medicine manufacturing and research and development segments, announced in January, but declined to break down its specific value.

Even as AstraZeneca invests heavily in the United States, led by a $50 billion manufacturing deal last year, it continues to build its business in its second-biggest market after scandals, including the arrest of its China president in 2024.

AstraZeneca has invested billions of dollars in the country in Pascal Soriot’s tenure as CEO since 2012, including $2.5 billion in a Beijing research and development hub in March last year, its second after a Shanghai site opened in 2024.