Summary
Wellington Zhaotai Therapies Limited (WZTL) and New Zealand's BioOra have signed a CAR-T cell therapy technology sublicence agreement in Auckland, with a total contract value of USD 130 million. The technology was independently developed by Guangdong Zhaotai Cell Biotechnology Co Ltd, based in Shunde, Foshan, and had previously been commercially licensed to WZTL. The signing marks the first commercial licence of a cell product independently developed in Guangdong to a developed country, representing a key leap for biomedical innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from 'product export' to 'technology export'.
The licensed product, WZTL-002, is a CD19-targeted autologous CAR-T cell injection that offers stronger tumour-killing efficacy and higher safety compared with conventional CAR-T products. Under the agreement, the product will be further developed and commercialised in agreed international markets outside Greater China and India. Tang Chaoyang, chairman of Zhaotai Cell, said that in the past most Guangdong companies exported products, but this time it is core technology that is going overseas, which fully demonstrates that Foshan and Guangdong have global competitiveness in biopharmaceuticals.
Zhaotai Cell settled in Shunde Southern Wisdom Valley in 2020 and is one of the few biopharmaceutical companies in China with a Nobel laureate as a named shareholder. In 2022, it commercially licensed a CAR-T innovative drug for lymphoma to India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories, completing its layout in the South Asian market. In 2024, China Customs approved its CAR-T cell products for entry into Hong Kong hospitals.
The company has also worked with Tsinghua University and the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop fully automated cell culture and preparation equipment. It plans to leverage this CAR-T technology export channel to simultaneously export domestically produced automated preparation equipment, and to use its New Zealand cooperation platform to advance technologies such as solid tumour CAR-T and ITNK into overseas markets.
Commentary
The USD 130 million CAR-T technology sublicence agreement between Foshan's Zhaotai Cell and New Zealand's BioOra marks Guangdong's biopharmaceutical sector moving from product export to technology export. For NZ SMEs, this is not just a single transaction but reveals the potential for China-New Zealand cooperation in high-end healthcare. New Zealand's biotech industry excels in innovative R&D but has limited manufacturing and scale-up capacity, while China has deep accumulated experience in cell therapy industrialisation.
Zhaotai's choice of New Zealand as a bridgehead for technology export reflects its recognition of the country's mature regulatory system, close links with European and American markets, and R&D capabilities. NZ SMEs can look to opportunities in CAR-T clinical trials in New Zealand, local manufacturing, and cold-chain logistics. At the same time, Zhaotai plans to export domestically produced automated preparation equipment, which could lower cell therapy costs and introduce more affordable advanced therapies to the NZ healthcare system.
However, technology licensing also raises discussion about intellectual property and local industry development: should New Zealand more actively attract such cooperation to enhance its own biomanufacturing capacity? Globally, the CAR-T field is highly competitive, with giants such as Novartis and Gilead dominating, but Chinese companies' cost advantages and rapid iteration are forming differentiated competitiveness. Zhaotai previously licensed to India's Dr Reddy's and has now entered New Zealand, showing its global layout strategy.
NZ SMEs should seize the window of opportunity to build cooperation in supply chains, clinical services, and equipment maintenance, while watching for future opportunities in solid tumour CAR-T and other technologies.
Keywords: CAR-T cell therapy, technology export, Zhaotai Cell, BioOra, USD 130 million, Foshan biopharmaceuticals, WZTL-002, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Source: Foshan Online
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