Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate

AstraZeneca has added another piece to its sprawling interface with CSPC Pharmaceutical, paying the Chinese biotech $30 million upfront to jointly discover and develop two kidney disease drug candidates. The agreement is built on CSPC’s siRNA drug discovery platform and delivery toolkit for targeting organs beyond the liver. Harnessing its capabilities, CSPC and AstraZeneca will advance small nucleic acid drug candidates against two undisclosed renal disease targets. The targets are relevant to multiple indications, CSPC said (PDF) in a filing to disclose the deal, but further details have yet to emerge. AstraZeneca has committed $540 million in development milestones to enter into the partnership, which features a further $1.2 billion tied to product sales. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker has the option to bag exclusive rights globally or outside of China. CSPC will retain rights to one of the assets in China. The collaboration leverages CSPC’s AI molecular design model and automated high-throughput screening system. The capabilities support efficient screening of nucleic acids with high activity and enhanced potential to target organs beyond the liver, CSPC said. Early nucleic acid delivery systems achieved higher accumulation in the liver than other organs, creating a need for tools to unlock extrahepatic diseases. AstraZeneca’s identification of CSPC as a partner that can rise to that challenge extends a pattern seen in recent years. Seeking to jumpstart its obesity ambitions, AstraZeneca paid CSPC $1.2 billion upfront this year for ex-China rights to eight weight-management programs. Including milestones, the obesity deal is worth up to $18.5 billion. The obesity pact followed deals AstraZeneca struck with CSPC in 2024 and 2025. In 2024, AstraZeneca paid CSPC $100 million upfront for a preclinical cardiovascular disease drug candidate. Meanwhile, the 2025 alliance featured a $110 million upfront fee, plus $5.2 billion in milestones, and positioned AstraZeneca to work with CSPC on oral treatments for chronic diseases. AstraZeneca’s latest deal with CSPC could yield new products in a key therapeutic area for the company. Farxiga, a drug approved for indications including chronic kidney disease, was the Big Pharma’s best-selling product in the first quarter, generating (PDF) $2.2 billion in three months. AstraZeneca’s renal disease portfolio also includes Lokelma, a hyperkalemia therapy that pulled in $199 million in the first quarter.

Mumbai: Indian pharma major Sun Pharmaceuticals has inked a second brand partnership with AstraZeneca India arm to sell Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate ( SZC ) brand in the country. According to the announcement, the innovator will market the therapy under the global brand name Lokelma , while the Mumbai–based drugmaker will promote and distribute the therapy as Gimliand. Under the agreement AstraZeneca will retain the intellectual property rights to SZC and hold the Marketing Authorization along with the import license of the molecule. The financial terms of the agreement and the therapy's market price have not been disclosed. SZC, is a non-absorbed, inorganic, potassium-binding crystalline compound used to treat hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium in the blood) in adults and in 2024, AstraZeneca’s Lokelma clocked net sales of $542 million. (over ~Rs 4,600 crore). “The addition of SZC to our portfolio underscores our unwavering commitment to improving the care of patients with chronic kidney disease and a leader in this therapy area, we remain focused on expanding access to innovative treatments that empower healthcare professionals and enhance the quality of life for patients,” said Kirti Ganorkar, MD, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited. “With this partnership with Sun Pharma .. we are poised to significantly expand the reach of this vital therapy and help address the disease burden,” Praveen Rao Akkinepally, Country President and MD AstraZeneca Pharma India said. By Online Bureau ,