LONDON, January 26, 2026 — AstraZeneca is making a substantial $1.2 billion bet on the future of obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment, partnering with CSPC Pharmaceutical Group on eight drug programs. This move signals a significant expansion into the cardiometabolic space, potentially offering new options for patients struggling with these conditions.
A New Wave of Weight Management Therapies
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AstraZeneca’s partnership with CSPC aims to deliver more convenient and effective obesity treatments.
- The deal grants AstraZeneca global rights (excluding Greater China) to CSPC’s portfolio of once-monthly injectable weight management drugs.
- CSPC’s AI-driven peptide discovery platform and once-monthly dosing technology are key components of the collaboration.
- The most advanced program, SYH2083, targets the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, similar to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
- AstraZeneca could pay CSPC up to $3.5 billion in milestone payments, plus royalties on sales.
The agreement, announced Friday, centers around CSPC’s portfolio of once-monthly injectable weight management drugs. AstraZeneca will spearhead the development and commercialization of any approved products outside of China, while CSPC retains rights within Greater China (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau), with the potential for AstraZeneca to co-commercialize those products later.
SYH2083, the most advanced candidate from CSPC, is a long-acting agonist targeting the GLP-1 and GIP receptors – the same targets as Eli Lilly’s blockbuster obesity drug, Zepbound. The race to develop effective GLP-1/GIP agonists is heating up, with Roche announcing positive mid-stage results for its own candidate earlier this week, and Kailera Therapeutics also advancing a similar drug to Phase 3 testing. All three are administered as weekly injections.
Leveraging AI for Drug Discovery
CSPC will initially oversee the four programs through Phase 1 testing. AstraZeneca’s Sharon Barr, executive vice president and head of biopharmaceuticals R&D, highlighted the potential of CSPC’s artificial intelligence-driven peptide discovery platform and its once-monthly dosing technology. “This collaboration will provide access to CSPC’s proprietary AI-enabled peptide capabilities and platform technology, which have the potential to transform the treatment of obesity, helping to address adherence and convenience as key barriers to long-term therapeutic success,” Barr said in a statement.
What are the biggest challenges in obesity treatment? Adherence to long-term medication regimens and the inconvenience of frequent injections are major hurdles. A once-monthly injection could significantly improve patient compliance and quality of life.
Beyond SYH2083, the partnership encompasses four additional programs utilizing CSPC’s technology. AstraZeneca also gains the option to pursue future metabolic drug candidates and deploy the once-monthly dosing technology across its internal development programs.
Expanding AstraZeneca’s Metabolic Pipeline
This deal complements AstraZeneca’s existing metabolic disease pipeline, which includes the oral GLP-1 receptor agonist elecoglipron (formerly AZD5004), acquired from China-based Eccogene in 2023. Elecoglipron is currently in mid-stage clinical development for both type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management. Other assets include AZD6234, a weekly injectable amylin receptor agonist in Phase 2, and AZD9550, a weekly injectable dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist also in mid-stage development.
This isn’t AstraZeneca’s first foray into collaboration with CSPC. In 2024, the British pharmaceutical company paid $100 million to license a CSPC cholesterol-lowering oral small molecule. Last year, AstraZeneca invested $110 million upfront to collaborate on the discovery and development of new drugs based on CSPC’s AI-driven technology.
The latest agreement coincides with a visit to China by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, accompanied by AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. On Thursday, AstraZeneca announced a $15 billion investment in manufacturing and R&D infrastructure in China through 2030.
