Russian media: China has surpassed the EU and caught up with the United States in biotechnology and pharmaceutical technology!

Chinese medicine is considered more effective than products from Europe and the United States.

On July 15, Russian newspapers published an article.

The development of China's biotechnology and pharmaceutical technology is following the same path as neural networks and electric vehicles.

In 2024, the number of new drugs developed in China exceeded 1,250, a figure that far surpasses the EU and is almost on par with the United States (approximately 1,440).

According to Bloomberg, if Chinese pharmaceutical technology companies want to sell their drugs abroad, they must go through complex and lengthy global research to prove their effectiveness on patients in different countries.

Many industry representatives believe that in a few years, a large number of drugs produced in China will receive approval from the United States and the EU and be widely used in the Western world.

Helen Chen from Shanghai LEK Consulting's China Strategic Advisory Services said, "We have never seen such a scale before. The products are very attractive and spread rapidly."

Daniel Chansler, Vice President of Nostra Intelligent Leadership, said, "China has not only caught up with the United States but is still growing. It can be said that in the coming years, China will surpass the United States in the number of drugs being developed."

The world's most stringent regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), are increasingly seeing significant potential in Chinese medicines.

To accelerate the review, they have allocated additional resources; giving them corresponding industry designations ("priority review," "breakthrough therapy," or "accelerated review").

According to the DealForma biopharmaceutical sector transaction database, the number and frequency of transactions involving Chinese assets are increasing: drugs produced in China are competitive in the international market and could bring substantial revenue.

One of the first examples of Chinese innovation is cell therapy, which has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating deadly blood cancers.

This therapy was first developed by the legendary Chinese biotechnology company, and is now sold by Johnson & Johnson - it is considered more effective than therapies developed in the United States.

Akeso's new anti-cancer drug launched in 2024 showed better performance in Chinese studies than Merck's Keytruda.

This prospect boosted the stock price of Summit Therapeutics, which had already paid a $500 million prepayment in 2022 to obtain the rights to develop and market the Chinese drug in the United States and other regions.

Other multinational companies, such as Merck, AstraZeneca, and Roche Holding, have also purchased Chinese R&D achievements.

In May 2025, Pfizer announced a $1.2 billion pre-purchase agreement with China for similar cancer drugs like Akeso, setting a new record.

According to GlobalData, since 2021, China has become a leader in clinical research, initiating the most new clinical trials in the world.

Among the top 50 companies that developed the most innovative drugs between 2020 and 2024, 20 were Chinese companies, compared to only five five years ago.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837665120572617/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.