BRIEF—AstraZeneca inks deal for drug distribution in China

Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RealCan Pharmaceutical, a drug and medical device distributor based in Yantai, Shandong province of China.

Under the MoU, RealCan will help bring AstraZeneca drugs into 144 planned hospitals in counties in Shandong province, while AstraZeneca will prioritize RealCan as its drug distributor in China.

RealCan has a strong hold in Shandong province, covering 98% of local public hospitals, according to the company.

AstraZeneca in recent years has been expanding in small cities and rural areas in China.

In April this year, AstraZeneca China set up a cancer drug team targeting county-level hospitals.

According to AstraZeneca, it aims to get China's approval for 55 new therapies and indications in the next five years.