After a year in the making, Astellas’ China Innovation R&D Center has finally opened.
Astellas said Nov. 2 that its China Innovation R&D Center at the International Medical Innovation Park (BioPark) in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town) has officially opened.
According to a press release, this is Astellas’ first innovation R&D center in China in the 32 years since it entered the market, marking a key leap for Astellas China from “global market” to “global co-creation.”
Source: Astellas WeChat account
Astellas entered China in 1994, bringing its global innovative products to the Chinese market. Since then, the company has continued to increase its strategic focus on China and broaden the scope of its innovation—moving from simple product imports to “global co-creation” with the local ecosystem.
In 2025, Astellas announced plans to establish its first China Innovation R&D Center at BioPark in Beijing E-Town. That same year, it landed the first cross-border biologics segmented-production CDMO project in China, exploring a new model for cross-border production collaboration and further shoring up the foundation of its localized full-industry-chain footprint.
“China has abundant clinical resources, outstanding scientific talent and continuously improving innovation policies. It is no longer just a launch market for global new drugs, but a global source of innovation and an important hub in the global value chain,” said Zhao Ping, president of Astellas China.
She added that Astellas hopes to use its first China Innovation R&D Center as an anchor, leveraging the innovation ecosystem strengths and policy incentives of the Beijing E-Town area and BioPark to deeply integrate into the local pharmaceutical innovation network. The goal is to embed China’s local scientific insights, clinical needs and R&D vitality into the global innovation chain, and to turn more innovative ideas aimed at Chinese patients into treatment options that benefit patients worldwide—realizing the strategic vision of “In China, for Global.”
The release also noted that with the center now officially open, Astellas has filled a key missing piece in its China footprint: early-stage discovery research. It also underscores once again that Astellas is no longer merely a multinational operating in China, but a global company truly rooted in China.
The center will work in tandem with and complement Astellas’ global innovation centers in Tokyo, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Cambridge, UK, forming a multi-hub global R&D network.