Learn about China’s biomedical breakthroughs, from cutting-edge pharmaceuticals to life-saving research, driving global health innovation.

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Biomedicine

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Illustration: Henry Wong
New medical drugs

6 of the best: the billion-dollar biotechs putting China on the map

China’s biotech renaissance is gathering pace as home-grown innovators strike billion-dollar licensing deals with global giants.

Made in China 2025

Novartis, SciNeuro deal offers hope for 55 million suffering from Alzheimer’s

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Made in China 2025

China’s weight-loss drug war: prices slashed up to 80% as obesity crisis worsens

Banking & finance

TCM firms eye Hong Kong IPOs to fuel global expansion

Over the past year, 34 innovation and technology, life and health science companies set up or expanded their operations in Hong Kong.

A traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy at the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital in Tseung Kwan O. Photo: Edmond So
A traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy at the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital in Tseung Kwan O. Photo: Edmond So
Made in China 2025

Chinese biotechs strike a record US$136 billion in out-licensing deals in 2025

Chinese drug makers signed 157 out-licensing deals with global pharmaceutical firms last year versus 94 a year earlier.

Made in China 2025

Meow or never: China’s pudgy pets spark race for weight-loss drugs

Fosun and Huadong biotech labs eye feline obesity drugs as owners weigh cuteness against health risks.

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Banking & finance

The ‘biology winter’ thaws: why investors are buying Hong Kong’s biotech IPOs

A wave of China out-licensing deals is feeding a biotech comeback in Hong Kong, where IPOs and follow-on placements are surging.

Healthcare firms now account for about a fifth of the more than 300 listing applications in the city. Photo: Shutterstock
Healthcare firms now account for about a fifth of the more than 300 listing applications in the city. Photo: Shutterstock
IPO

China’s Zhipu AI launches US$560 million share sale amid heated IPO tech race

The company, marketed overseas as Z.ai, eyes US$6.6 billion valuation with Hong Kong’s first large language model listing.

IPO

China vital to Insilico’s plan to build biotech’s AI ‘Einstein’ for new drugs

US firm, backed by Fosun and Tencent, expands research base in China as it develops an AI-powered drug-discovery tool.

Made in China 2025

China’s rising biotech clout on show in flurry of billion-dollar licensing deals

A burst of overseas licensing pacts is spotlighting China’s biotech sector, as Jacobio, Coherent Biopharma and Harbour BioMed land deals.

The latest transactions reflect a broader pattern of multinational drugmakers turning to Chinese biotechs for pipeline replenishment. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Global firms turn to M&A in EVs and biotech to deepen China investment: KPMG

Survey of multinational corporations finds optimism in life sciences, healthcare and manufacturing, with half forecasting revenue growth.

Healthcare and life sciences are the top growth prospects over the next three to five years, according to multinational corporations. Photo: Xinhua
Healthcare and life sciences are the top growth prospects over the next three to five years, according to multinational corporations. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

China’s private sector

BeOne Medicines names R&D chief Wang Lai as president amid global expansion

BeOne generated global revenue of about US$3.8 billion last year, driven by its flagship products Brukinsa and Tevimbra.

Medicine

Sanofi signs with Hong Kong biotech firm Insilico to spur AI drug discovery

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi will collaborate with Hong Kong-based biotech firm Insilico Medicine in a deal worth up to US$1.2 billion to speed up the drug-discovery process using artificial intelligence.

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The Sanofi headquarters in Lyon, France. Photo: Reuters
Medicine

Exclusive | Hong Kong’s Insilico, Aramco to partner on sustainable fuels and materials

AI drug discovery unicorn Insilico Medicine is set to sign a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and a subsidiary during Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s official visit to the country.

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Insilico opened a regional research centre in Abu Dhabi this month. The opening ceremony was attended by Alex Zhavoronkov, Insilico’s co-founder and CEO, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Ahmed Baghoum, the acting CEO of Masdar City, and Alex Aliper, Insilico’s co-founder and president. Photo: Handout
Insilico opened a regional research centre in Abu Dhabi this month. The opening ceremony was attended by Alex Zhavoronkov, Insilico’s co-founder and CEO, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Ahmed Baghoum, the acting CEO of Masdar City, and Alex Aliper, Insilico’s co-founder and president. Photo: Handout
Made in China 2025

China’s pharmaceutical industry transforms into a global innovation powerhouse

The China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Invention Index, a new gauge, highlights top drug makers on the mainland for the first time.

Made in China 2025

China’s new drug insurance: lifeline for patients or squeeze on big firms?

New insurance formulary trims costs of Alzheimer’s and cancer therapies and marks a small win for global novel drug makers.

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Made in China 2025

Chinese biotech Scizeng’s global licensing deal to yield up to US$1.44 billion

Yarrow Bioscience gets exclusive global rights for the GenSci098 therapy to treat thyroid eye disease and Graves’ disease.

A number of Chinese biotech firms have clinched licensing deals with multinational companies this year. Photo: Shutterstock
A number of Chinese biotech firms have clinched licensing deals with multinational companies this year. Photo: Shutterstock
China manufacturing

China’s biotech firms may see ‘major breakthroughs’ within a decade. Here’s why

Strong manufacturing base a driving force behind overseas expansion, but industry leaders and analysts say hurdles remain.

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Made in China 2025

China’s Fosun Pharma unit strikes US$2.1 billion obesity drug deal with Pfizer

Yao Pharma’s deal with the US pharmaceutical giant underscores China’s growing role in global biotech licensing.

Banking & finance

From chips to noodles: the newcomers testing Hong Kong’s buoyant IPO market

A wave of billion-dollar offerings is building behind four new listings this week, signalling sustained momentum in Hong Kong’s IPO market.

Guangdong Tianyu Semiconductor plans to raise US$223.42 million at its Hong Kong listing. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong stock market

China’s 3SBio seeks US$400 million in Hong Kong to boost drug pipeline

Share placement to help Shenyang-based firm advance clinical research in China and the US, expand reach of cancer and hair-loss drugs.

Shenyang-based 3SBio is selling a 4.14 per cent stake in the company. Photo: Handout
Shenyang-based 3SBio is selling a 4.14 per cent stake in the company. Photo: Handout
Shanghai

China bets on bio-manufacturing as new growth engine, bid for tech self-reliance

The pilot-scale platforms are aimed at helping innovators overcome hurdles in R&D and manufacturing before achieving commercial production.

Banking & finance

3SBio spin-off Mandi banks on hair-loss and weight-loss drugs in Hong Kong IPO

As 3SBio lines up a Hong Kong spin-off for its hair-loss unit Mandi, the subsidiary is preparing a drug pipeline aimed at acne and obesity.

Biomedicine: Industry Trends

China’s clinical trial capacity matches US, attracts more global pharma firms

Growth of innovative clinical trials suggests that Chinese biotech firms’ pipeline of novel drug candidates is expanding, analysts say.

China had 2,694 new clinical trials in 2024, up 13 per cent from a year earlier. Photo: Shutterstock
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