AbelZeta Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialising in cell-based therapies, has announced that AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire AbelZeta’s 50 percent stake in the China development and commercialisation rights to C-CAR031. The transaction grants AstraZeneca full global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the therapy worldwide.

Under the terms of the agreement, AbelZeta is eligible to receive up to USD 630 million from AstraZeneca, comprising an upfront payment along with development, regulatory and sales milestone payments related to the Glypican-3 (GPC3) programme in China. AbelZeta will also remain eligible for additional milestone payments and royalties linked to the development and commercialisation of C-CAR031 outside China.

The company already held the development, manufacturing and commercialisation rights for C-CAR031 in markets outside China under a previous agreement. The latest transaction consolidates these rights, enabling AstraZeneca to fully control the global strategy for the programme.

Commenting on the deal, Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AbelZeta, said, “The transaction underscores our commitment to advancing innovative cell therapies for solid tumours with high unmet medical needs, including Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), while maximising the global potential of C-CAR031.

C-CAR031 is an autologous, GPC3-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, designed using AstraZeneca’s dominant negative transforming growth factor-beta receptor II armouring platform. The therapy is currently under investigation for the treatment of HCC and other solid tumours.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths and the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, with HCC accounting for approximately 75 percent of adult primary liver cancer cases. Prognosis for advanced-stage HCC remains poor, with a five-year survival rate of around 7 percent and a median survival of roughly 20 months. According to Frost & Sullivan, the incidence of HCC in China rose to an estimated 344,500 cases in 2024.

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and Shanghai, China, AbelZeta continues to focus on developing proprietary cell-based therapies that harness the immune system to address haematological malignancies, inflammatory and immunological diseases, and solid tumours.