Mohit Manrao, head of AstraZeneca’s US oncology business unit, explained the company’s diverse approach in an interview, including investments in ADCs, cell therapy and radiopharmaceuticals.

France has long been a European leader in rare diseases, from its scientific research and academic hospitals, through to patient advocacy and regulatory reforms that have encouraged R&D. Its biotech and pharmaceutical industries are now leading the way, discovering the next generation of therapies for patients that are often overlooked.

AstraZeneca has maintained sector-beating growth for five years, but is looking to a new wave of bolt-on acquisitions and licensing deals to sustain that trajectory beyond 2030.

Chinese drugmakers’ “ability to move quicker at pace and with purpose” than counterparts in the US, Europe and other parts of the world underlies increasing deal activity with big pharmas, AstraZeneca’s BD chief Shaun Grady tells Scrip.