Source: Global Times

Singapore's Business Times, July 14th article, original title: The amazing progress of China's biotechnology is changing the world's drug development pipeline. The global biotechnology industry is undergoing a structural transformation. After a long period of improvement, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are now beginning to challenge the Western dominance in the field of innovation. Bloomberg's exclusive analysis shows that the number of innovative drugs entering the research and development phase in China has exceeded 1,250 in 2024, far surpassing the EU and approaching the 1,440 of the United States. These new drugs cover multiple therapeutic areas such as cancer and weight loss, and are increasingly being recognized by Western regulatory authorities and multinational pharmaceutical companies. Chen Wei, partner and head of Greater China at A.T. Kearney Consulting, said: "This scale is unprecedented. The related products are very attractive and the R&D speed is fast."

In 2015, only 160 new drugs from China entered the global drug development pipeline, accounting for less than 6%. Regulatory reforms in China have helped accelerate the review process, improve data quality, and increase regulatory transparency. Government initiatives aimed at improving manufacturing levels in key areas have stimulated a surge in investment in the biotechnology sector, driving an innovation wave centered around overseas returning scientists and entrepreneurs. Daniel Chancellors, vice president of Nostra International Pharmaceutical Intelligence, said: "Now, China is almost on par with the United States in terms of the number of relevant R&D, and the growth momentum is very strong. If we look only at the number of new drug R&D pipelines in China, it is not sensational to predict that China will surpass the United States in the coming years."

More notably, there has been a leap in the quality of China's biotech innovations. The world's most stringent regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, are increasingly seeing the overall prospects of Chinese medicines as promising, and are willing to invest additional resources to expedite reviews and grant them coveted status such as priority review, breakthrough therapy designation, or fast track qualification.

A key advantage driving the rise of Chinese biotech companies is their ability to conduct research at lower costs and faster speeds across all stages. Data from the UK-based "Global Data" company show that since 2021, China has become the leading location for global clinical research, launching the most new trials. Between 2020 and 2024, among the top 50 companies producing the most innovative drug candidates, 20 were Chinese. Ali, founder of London-based medical consulting firm "Shushan Partners," said: "As it continues to develop, the fact that China has high-quality innovations in the biotech field will no longer be a novelty, but will become an accepted norm."

Translation by Liu Changhuang

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527075267865575979/

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