Update

AstraZeneca Breaks Ground for New Small Molecule Drug Factory in Wuxi, China

Photo by Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo / Unsplash

AstraZeneca, a global leader in biopharmaceutical research, recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Wuxi National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee to invest $475 million in building a new small molecule drug factory in Wuxi. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new factory was also held today. This is another major milestone in AstraZeneca's development in China and demonstrates the company's firm commitment to long-term development in China.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will invest $475 million to build a new small-molecule drug factory in the Wuxi High-tech Zone. It is expected that certain small-molecule drugs of AstraZeneca that will be marketed in China in the future will be manufactured and packaged in the new Wuxi factory and sold both domestically and internationally. The new factory will strengthen AstraZeneca's global production and supply base in China, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality and innovative 'Made in China' medicines to domestic and international markets.

New factory to enhance AstraZeneca's small molecule drug production capacity

The new AstraZeneca small molecule drug factory in Wuxi will be equipped with state-of-the-art continuous manufacturing equipment for tablets and sustainable drug packaging production lines. This will enable the creation of an autonomous manufacturing smart factory, enhancing AstraZeneca's small molecule drug production capacity. With the support of the company's agile and efficient global supply network, the new factory will supply high-quality products to the Chinese and global markets, contributing to the goal of 'Healthy China 2030' and benefiting patients worldwide.

AstraZeneca's commitment to China

AstraZeneca has been deeply committed to China for over 30 years and has continuously increased its investment in "Made in China" to build a world-class production and supply network in China.

In 2001, AstraZeneca's production and supply base in Wuxi, invested with $134 million, was officially completed and put into operation, marking a key start for AstraZeneca to establish a global production and supply system in China.
In 2014, the Taizhou production and supply base with a total investment of about $300 million was officially put into use.
In 2016, AstraZeneca China Logistics Center was officially put into operation in Wuxi. In 2023, AstraZeneca continued to increase its investment by $700 million to build a new production and supply base in Qingdao.
In the same year, AstraZeneca announced that it would increase its investment to build a new production line for diabetes drugs in Taizhou, and continue to build a global production and supply base for diabetes drugs with an output value of 10 billion yuan.

At the CIIE in 2023, AstraZeneca announced its plan to invest nearly $400 million in building a new factory in Wuxi. The signing of the investment agreement for the new factory once again demonstrates AstraZeneca's determination to accelerate localization and take root in China.

The construction of the new AstraZeneca small-molecule drug factory in Wuxi is expected to create jobs and boost the local economy. The factory is expected to employ hundreds of people and generate billions of yuan in revenue each year. It will also help attract other investments to the region.