AstraZeneca returns to hypercholesterolemia via R&D pact with fresh-faced Chinese biotech

Nine months after dumping an Ionis-partnered hypercholesterolemia asset, AstraZeneca has teamed up with a self-described “young” Chinese biotech to work on new drugs to target the condition.

The three-year agreement will see Shanghai-based Cholesgen receive an undisclosed initial payment from the British Big Pharma to pursue first-in-class targets and mechanisms for hypercholesterolemia and related metabolic diseases originally identified by the biotech’s Chinese researchers.