AstraZeneca extended its China collaboration with CSPC Pharmaceutical through a new kidney disease drug discovery and development pact worth up to $1.7 billion. AstraZeneca will pay CSPC $30 million upfront to jointly discover and develop two kidney candidates, adding to an already dense portfolio of partnerships with the Chinese partner. The agreement underscores how Western biopharma continues to build pipeline assets through local discovery capacity and long-running co-development frameworks in China. It also signals sustained emphasis on kidney disease, an area where clinical unmet need and targeted biology have attracted multiple large-company bets. The expanded relationship arrives only months after AstraZeneca lined up another major collaboration with the same partner, reinforcing CSPC’s role as a repeated platform for drug R&D in the region.