Researchers conduct drug development work in a laboratory. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chongqing - China’s innovative pharmaceutical industry is gaining momentum as domestic drugmakers gain increasing recognition in global markets.

Data from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) showed that China approved 19 innovative drugs in the first months of 2026, including 15 developed domestically. 

In the first quarter alone, overseas licensing deals for Chinese innovative drugs surpassed 60 billion U.S. dollars — a record for the period and nearly half of 2025’s total. The surge highlights rising global confidence in China’s drug innovation and research quality.

Innovative medicines are improving treatment outcomes and expanding options for patients across China.

This April, Chongqing’s economic, health, medical security and drug regulators jointly released the city’s first Innovative Drug Application List, selecting nine pharmaceutical products.

Three were classified as innovative drugs — China’s Category 1 novel medicines or Category 2 improved new drugs approved by the NMPA. They include Sailiqi, an anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody for psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis, Pucakogenleucel injection, a CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, and Angoruixi monoclonal antibody injection for high cholesterol patients inadequately controlled by statins.

In Jiangsu province, doctors used a domestically developed innovative drug called edaravone-dexborneol sublingual tablets to help protect a stroke patient’s brain during emergency transfer for surgery, improving recovery prospects. 

Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, a 76-year-old influenza patient experienced rapid symptom relief after receiving onradivir tablets, a newly approved anti-influenza drug developed in China. Doctors said the treatment demonstrated improved safety and lower resistance risks, particularly for elderly and high-risk patients.

Drugmakers ramp up R&D even as success rates stay low

China’s innovative pharmaceutical industry has advanced rapidly in recent years, shifting from reliance on imported medicines toward stronger domestic innovation. 

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), China approved 230 innovative drugs, with domestically developed products accounting for more than 80% of approvals. Advanced therapies such as targeted treatments, immunotherapy, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are expanding rapidly for major diseases, including stroke, cancer, and infectious illnesses.

The sector’s growth has been supported by sustained investment in research and development.

Chinese pharmaceutical companies are also accelerating global expansion through overseas licensing deals. In February 2026, serplulimab injection, a China-developed anti-tumor drug, was licensed to Japan’s Eisai Co., while Fosun Pharma reached a licensing agreement with Pfizer involving an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist candidate in December 2025.

Since 2019, Fosun Pharma has launched more than 10 innovative drugs and expanded overseas licensing cooperation. In 2025 alone, the company completed seven licensing and co-development deals, with upfront payments totaling 261 million U.S. dollars and potential deal value exceeding 4 billion U.S. dollars.

The company’s innovative drug-related R&D spending reached 4.303 billion yuan in 2025, up nearly 16% year on year and accounting for more than 80% of its pharmaceutical R&D investment.

Despite the high costs and risks associated with innovative drug development — often requiring around 1 billion yuan in investment over a decade and carrying success rates of only about 10% — Chinese pharmaceutical companies continued increasing R&D spending, which accounted for more than 15% of revenue at many listed firms in 2025.

Industry growth has also been supported by regulatory reforms aimed at speeding up drug approvals while strengthening quality oversight.

China’s drug regulator has introduced multiple fast-track review channels, including breakthrough therapy designation, conditional approval, and priority review programs. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 369 drugs entered the breakthrough therapy program, while 554 applications were included in priority review channels.

Regulators and industry experts said faster approvals have been accompanied by stricter oversight throughout the drug development and post-market process to ensure innovative medicines remain safe and effective.

(Lu Wanqing, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)