AstraZeneca has entered an agreement with China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals to in-license eight preclinical and early-stage obesity programs, including a once-monthly injectable weight-management candidate. Under the terms, AZN will pay CSPC $1.2 billion upfront and may disburse up to $17.3 billion in milestone payments tied to regulatory approvals, clinical development progress and sales thresholds. The deal secures AZN rights to key assets that collectively address an estimated global obesity treatment market projected to exceed $25 billion by 2030. AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism unit, which recorded over $4 billion in revenue last year, will lead development and commercialization, leveraging its existing GLP-1 infrastructure to accelerate global rollout.

On February 2, 2026, AstraZeneca began direct trading of its ordinary shares on the New York Stock Exchange, aligning its listing structure across NYSE, London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stockholm. The strategic shift replaces American Depositary Receipts on Nasdaq and is intended to broaden AZN’s US shareholder base in its largest market, which accounted for approximately 35 percent of group revenues in 2025. Michel Demaré, AZN Chair, highlighted that the harmonised listing supports the company’s ambition to reach $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and to launch 20 new medicines in the coming decade. AstraZeneca ordinary shares will continue under the symbol AZN, while its US dollar-denominated bonds will commence trading on the NYSE immediately after the equity debut.