<figure id="attachment_3270525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3270525" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3270525 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1828d64f-whatsapp-image-2026-01-30-at-12.53.20.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3270525" class="wp-caption-text">The deal marks the latest collaboration between the two pharmaceutical giants, boosting AstraZeneca&#8217;s investment in the growing obesity market dominated by Western competitors.</figcaption></figure>
SHANGHAI: AstraZeneca will license experimental drugs for obesity and weight-related conditions from CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and collaborate on additional projects, paying US$1.2 billion upfront and up to US$17.3 billion more if development and sales milestones are met, the Chinese drugmaker said on Friday.
The deal is the latest tie-up between the two pharmaceutical giants, following collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence. It expands AstraZeneca&#8217;s investment in the growing obesity market led by Western rivals.
The British-Swedish drugmaker has also licensed an experimental weight-loss pill from China&#8217;s EccoGene.
CSPC shares were down about 12% in Hong Kong following the announcement.
&#8220;This reflects the classic &#8216;buy the rumour, sell the news&#8217; phenomenon,&#8221; said Tony Ren, head of Asia healthcare research at Macquarie Capital, adding that investors seemed to be offloading the stock after its 26% surge since Jan 2.
The newly licensed drug candidates from CSPC include SYH2082, a &#8220;clinical-ready&#8221; product, and three other pre-clinical products in its injectable weight-management portfolio, the company said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The agreement covers the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of the candidates. AstraZeneca has been granted a global licence, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China.
AstraZeneca will also collaborate on four additional new programmes with CSPC, using CSPC&#8217;s proprietary platforms for sustained-release delivery technology and AI-driven peptide drug discovery.
A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said in a statement the new CSPC Pharmaceutical deal was in addition to a previous US$15 billion investment in China that it announced on Thursday.

MatchPoint Times

China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical signs deal with AstraZeneca for weight-loss therapy

AstraZeneca said in a statement the new CSPC Pharmaceutical deal was in addition to a previous US$15 billion investment in China that it announced on Thursday.

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