AbelZeta Pharma, Inc. has announced that AstraZeneca will acquire the remaining 50% share of the China development and commercialization rights to its innovative CAR-T therapy, C-CAR031. This agreement grants AstraZeneca the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize C-CAR031 on a global scale. The announcement was made on January 18, 2026, and highlights a significant step in the ongoing collaboration between the two companies.
Under the terms of the agreement, AbelZeta will receive up to $630 million from AstraZeneca, which includes an upfront payment as well as development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments related to the GPC3 program in China. Previously, AstraZeneca already held the rights to C-CAR031 outside of China, solidifying their control over the therapy’s global development.
Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chairman and CEO of AbelZeta, emphasized the importance of this transaction, stating, “This transaction reflects our commitment to leverage our platform technology to develop novel cell therapies in solid tumors of high unmet medical need, including Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and provides the opportunity to maximize C-CAR031’s global reach.”
C-CAR031 is an autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy specifically targeting Glypican 3 (GPC3). It is currently under investigation for treating HCC and other solid tumors. HCC is a major health concern, being the third-leading cause of cancer death globally and the most common form of primary liver cancer. According to data from Frost & Sullivan, the incidence of HCC in China is projected to reach approximately 344,500 cases by 2024.
As liver cancer often progresses to advanced stages with poor prognoses, innovative treatments like C-CAR031 are urgently needed. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to a 5-year survival rate of only 7% and a median survival time of about 20 months. This highlights the critical need for effective therapies in this area.
AbelZeta, with its headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, and operations in Shanghai, China, is dedicated to developing proprietary cell-based therapeutic products. The company is focused on leveraging advanced platform technologies to create bespoke treatments that harness the human immune system against a variety of diseases, including hematological malignancies and solid tumors.
As part of the ongoing clinical development process, AbelZeta continues to advance its research and development efforts within its own Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities. The pipeline includes multiple CAR-T therapies that aim to address significant unmet medical needs in oncology.
In closing, the agreement between AbelZeta and AstraZeneca not only strengthens the position of C-CAR031 in the market but also underscores the potential for innovative therapies to improve outcomes for patients facing serious health challenges. As the collaboration unfolds, both companies are poised to make significant strides in the battle against cancer.
