The chinoiserie of Moderna and AstraZeneca with the Chinese CanSino on mRNA vaccines
Despite geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington (and its allies), Moderna and AstraZeneca flirt with China over mRNA drugs and vaccines. All the details
Although geopolitical tensions between China and the United States (and its allies) are always around the corner, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has entered into an agreement with the Chinese CanSino to produce an mRNA vaccine.
However, only at the end of June , the Financial Times wrote that several large companies that do business with the Dragon, including AstraZeneca, were reviewing their corporate strategy precisely because of the friction between Beijing and Washington. In particular, the biotech has allegedly worked out a plan to spin off its operations in China and list them separately in Hong Kong or Shanghai.
WHAT ASTRAZENECA AND CANSINO (NOT) SAID
In a document filed with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, CanSino reportedly said it would "manufacture and supply mRNA-based products" to AstraZeneca .
Specifically, CanSino said it will provide "development and contract manufacturing services" in support of the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical maker's messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine program.
AstraZeneca, for its part, said the deal will support investigational mRNA vaccines in its initial pipeline. The company said it was "working on next-generation technologies to develop vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for infectious diseases where there is a high unmet need," adding that it will share more details as candidates progress.
However, the value of the deal has not been disclosed.
ASTRAZENECA'S LOVE FOR CHINA…
AstraZeneca is the largest foreign pharmaceutical company in China and is doubling down on its engagement in the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market, according to Reuters . During an event in May in the city of Wuxi which marked AstraZeneca's 30th year of presence in the country, the biotech said it will try to be a patriotic company in China that "loves the Communist Party."
As the news agency notes , while many local companies have sworn allegiance to the CCP in recent years, "this type of messaging is still unusual from foreign ones."
…AND CHINA FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS
The partnership, by the way, comes just a month after reassurances from Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, who, during a round table discussion, told foreign pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, that they can expect "greater development opportunities ”.
But another big pharmaceutical company is also aiming for China. In fact, the US Moderna, in addition to having declared its intention to sell its mRNA-based vaccine in the country, at the beginning of July announced an agreement with Beijing to develop and produce messenger RNA-based drugs.
MRNA TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA
This technology, which made Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech fortunes with the anti Covid vaccines, has not had the same success in China, where instead of buying and importing Western vaccines, local ones have been administered, developed in the traditional way, such as in the case of the vaccines produced by Sinovac and Sinopharm, which however proved to be less effective .
The country also approved the first mRNA-based Covid vaccine only last March. It is produced by CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, while CanSino – which developed the first inhalable vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 – is still working on it and in February said it was in discussions with Chinese regulators regarding the protocol for a study advanced stage as a booster.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/le-cineserie-di-moderna-e-astrazeneca-con-la-cinese-cansino-sui-vaccini-mrna/ on Thu, 10 Aug 2023 13:45:24 +0000.