AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire AbelZeta Pharma’s remaining stake in the China development and commercialization rights to C-CAR031, consolidating full global control of the experimental CAR-T cell therapy. The transaction gives AstraZeneca the sole rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize C-CAR031 worldwide, strengthening its position in cell-based therapies for solid tumors.
Under the terms of the agreement, AbelZeta will receive up to $630 million from AstraZeneca. The total consideration includes an upfront payment as well as development, regulatory, and sales-based milestone payments tied to progress of the glypican-3 (GPC3) program in China. Financial details regarding the upfront portion were not disclosed. In addition, AbelZeta remains eligible for further milestone payments and royalties related to development and commercialization of C-CAR031 outside of China, in line with the companies’ prior agreement.
Previously, AstraZeneca already held the rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize C-CAR031 in markets outside China, while AbelZeta retained a 50% share of the China rights. The new deal simplifies the ownership structure and removes regional constraints, allowing AstraZeneca to advance a unified global development and commercialization strategy for the therapy.
C-CAR031 is an autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy targeting glypican-3, a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is the most common form of primary liver cancer and represents a major area of unmet medical need, particularly in regions with high hepatitis prevalence. The therapy is designed using AstraZeneca’s proprietary dominant negative transforming growth factor-beta receptor II armoring platform, which aims to enhance CAR-T cell activity in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment commonly seen in solid tumors.
AbelZeta’s leadership described the transaction as a strategic step that supports the company’s broader focus on leveraging its cell therapy platform to address difficult-to-treat solid tumors. By transferring full global rights to AstraZeneca, AbelZeta aims to maximize the therapeutic and commercial potential of C-CAR031 while retaining upside through milestone payments and royalties.
For AstraZeneca, the deal reinforces its commitment to advancing next-generation cell therapies beyond hematologic cancers into solid tumors. With sole global ownership, the company is positioned to accelerate clinical development and, if successful, bring C-CAR031 to patients worldwide suffering from HCC and other GPC3-expressing solid tumors.