AstraZeneca agreed to pay up to $630 million to acquire the remaining China rights to C‑CAR031, an armored GPC3‑targeting CAR‑T developed with AbelZeta Pharma. The deal gives AstraZeneca full global rights to the program and consolidates control over a therapy being advanced for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AbelZeta and AstraZeneca previously split rights; AstraZeneca’s purchase covers the ex-China rights it already held plus the newly acquired China rights. AbelZeta cited early clinical responses in China—objective response rates up to 56.5% across dose levels and 75% at the highest dose—as a key value driver. AstraZeneca framed the move as an opportunity to maximize global reach for C‑CAR031 and advance solid‑tumor cell therapy efforts. The transaction signals Big Pharma appetite to internalize promising cell‑therapy assets and accelerates commercialization planning for HCC, while raising near‑term questions about clinical development alignment, manufacturing scale-up, and regulatory filings in China and abroad.