AstraZeneca announced a $200 million investment in a new manufacturing facility, located in China Medical City (CMC), Taizhou, Jiangsu province. The new site, which represents AstraZeneca’s largest ever investment in a single manufacturing facility globally, will produce both intravenous and oral solid medicines for the company’s growing business in China. Construction of the site is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2013.

The new manufacturing facility will enable AstraZeneca to meet the growing demand for its products in China while expanding availability to people in the urban and rural communities who traditionally have had limited access to established medicines.

Mark Mallon, president, AstraZeneca China, said: “AstraZeneca has been putting down deep and broad roots in China for many years, which will be further strengthened by this $200 million investment. Our new manufacturing facility will complement our efforts to meet the medical needs of Chinese patients with medicines that are locally produced. In particular, it will help us to reach out to more of the estimated 900 million people in urban and rural communities who have had less access to high quality medicines.”

Since first establishing a presence in China in 1993, AstraZeneca has fast become one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in the country, with a turnover of more than $1 billion in 2010. The new manufacturing facility at CMC reinforces AstraZeneca’s long term commitment to the country and its contribution to the Chinese economy.

AstraZeneca’s direct investments in local capabilities to help deliver innovative medicines to Chinese patients and healthcare services to physicians include: a state-of-the-art manufacturing and supply site in Wuxi New District, Jiangsu Province; the AstraZeneca Innovation Centre China (ICC) — a leading-edge translational science centre targeting, among others, biomarker research into cancer therapies specifically relevant for Chinese and Asian patients. The ICC is one of AstraZeneca’s most advanced scientific research hubs outside the UK, Sweden and US; an established sales and marketing operation; large scale clinical development capabilities; and an extensive network of collaborations with leading academic and medical institutions.

The Chinese pharmaceutical market grew from $10 billion in 2004 to $41 billion in 2010 and, according to IMS, is expected to grow to over $100 billion by 2015, driven by government investment in improving healthcare infrastructure and expanding insurance coverage.

China Medical City, (also known as Taizhou Medical Hi-Tech Zone) integrates functional zones in R&D, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, exhibition and trade, healthcare service, advanced education, and other supportive functions and facilities.

AstraZeneca is one the leading biopharmaceutical companies in China providing innovative, high quality medicines for some of the most serious disease areas and therapies, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, neurological, cancer, inflammation and anaesthesia.