EditorialR&D plans by drug giant AstraZeneca shot in arm for Hong Kong’s biomedical hub bid
- AstraZeneca decision follows Hong Kong labs move by UN vaccine body and Cambridge University
Hong Kong’s ambitious plans to become a regional innovation and biomedical hub have received a welcome boost.
In the past two weeks, drug giant AstraZeneca said it would have a research base up and running here as soon as late next year, and the city will host research laboratories linked to the United Nations and a British university to produce vaccines for new infectious diseases.
AstraZeneca’s new R&D facility to develop cell and gene therapies will be the first of its kind to be established in the city by one of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
The Anglo-Swedish drug maker on Friday said some 100 people would eventually work at the premises in the Lok Ma Chau Loop technology hub, near the mainland border.
The previous week, Hong Kong learned that it would host research labs linked to the UN’s International Vaccine Institute based in South Korea and the University of Cambridge.
The operation will reportedly be set up next year at the University of Hong Kong as part of the establishment of a Global Health Institute.