AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it will buy clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc for about $2 billion in cash as the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker bets on next-generation cancer treatments. The drugmaker will pay $21 per Fusion share, a premium of more than 97% to the U.S.-listed company's closing price on Monday. Fusion is developing "next-generation" radioconjugates (RCs) to treat cancer. RCs deliver a radioactive isotope directly to cancer cells through precise targeting using molecules and have emerged as a promising modality in cancer treatment over recent years, AstraZeneca said. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been the mainstays of cancer treatment for decades.

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Persons: AstraZeneca, Susan Galbraith Organizations: Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc, Amolyt Pharma, AstraZeneca, Fusion, Oncology, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA Locations: Swedish, U.S, radioconjugates