AstraZeneca Inks Agreement to Boost Cardiovascular Pipeline

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN) announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with China-based CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd for developing an early-stage, small molecule Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) disruptor for helping patients with dyslipidaemia.

The latest agreement is likely to strengthen AstraZeneca's cardiovascular pipeline, which is being studied for treating various cardiovascular diseases.

Year to date, shares of AstraZeneca have rallied 14.1% compared with the industry's rise of 18.5%.

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More on AZN's Latest Agreement

Per the deal, AZN will make an upfront payment of $100 million to CSPC. The company is also entitled to pay up to $1.92 billion for further development and commercialization milestones plus tiered royalties to CSPC.

Per the latest agreement with CSPC, AstraZeneca will gain access to the latter's pre-clinical candidate, YS2302018, an oral Lp(a) disruptor, and develop the same for various cardiovascular diseases. The company will develop YS2302018 alone or in combination studies, including with the oral small molecule PCSK9 inhibitor, AZD0780.

Discovered by CSPC, YS2302018 has been shown to effectively prevent ...