https://www.scmp.com/rss/517874/feed Hansoh Pharmaceutical is China's largest maker of psychotropic medication by sales. The company also researches and produces medications in areas of oncology, anti-infections, central nervous system diseases, metabolic diseases and autoimmune diseases. It was founded by Zhong Huijuan, China's third richest woman and wife of Sun Piaoyang, chairman of prominent anti-tumour medication maker Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Julie Zhang Julie Zhang China’s healthcare sector has been drawing offshore capital to Hong Kong-listed stocks as investors look for safe havens amid global volatility in commodities. The Hang Seng Healthcare Index, tracking some of China’s most innovative pharmaceutical companies including Akeso and Innovent Biologics, has surged about 13 per cent since March 23, outpacing the benchmark Hang Seng Index’s about 6 per cent gain over the same period. “Although the Middle East conflict has created a lot of uncertainty and... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3349635/china-healthcare-stocks-outgain-hong-kong-market-middle-east-roils-global-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3349635/china-healthcare-stocks-outgain-hong-kong-market-middle-east-roils-global-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:30:09 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang At least 10 weight-loss injections and oral pills are lining up for regulatory approval in China, in a market projected to reach about US$14 billion by 2030. Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster semaglutide, which generated about US$35 billion in global revenue last year, lost patent protection in China on March 20, clearing the way for rivals. The rush comes as China’s drug regulator accelerates approvals of innovative therapies, helped by a surge in out-licensing deals with global pharmaceutical... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347869/chinas-weight-loss-drug-makers-take-global-giants-novo-nordisk-patent-expires?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347869/chinas-weight-loss-drug-makers-take-global-giants-novo-nordisk-patent-expires?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Hong Kong-listed mainland Chinese pharmaceutical companies are on track to deliver full-year profits, as surging drug sales and lucrative out-licensing deals with global partners start to pay off after years of research and development outlay. “Despite domestic challenges, particularly drug pricing pressure, the earnings performance of innovative drugs should still fare well in China in 2025,” said Tony Ren, head of Asia Healthcare Research at Macquarie Capital. Innovent Biologics, the first... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3344928/hong-kong-listed-chinese-drug-firms-set-turn-corner-rising-sales-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3344928/hong-kong-listed-chinese-drug-firms-set-turn-corner-rising-sales-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 04:00:22 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s biopharmaceutical sector is said to have entered an “innovation 2.0” phase as it moves to a commercialisation mindset that could see it sideline global competitors and outpace the US – despite restrictive trade policies. In recent years, innovative drug development in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market has rapidly approached – and in some cases surpassed – that of the United States, the world’s biggest market. Growing concerns over China’s biotech capabilities have led the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338481/chinas-biopharma-sector-prime-position-challenge-us-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3338481/chinas-biopharma-sector-prime-position-challenge-us-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 22:00:15 +0000 Julie Zhang,Eunice Xu Julie Zhang,Eunice Xu If pharmaceutical drug patents are an hourglass turned over on the day of approval – with the approaching loss of exclusivity known in the industry as the “patent cliff” – then Big Pharma is currently watching the final grains of sand slipping through the neck of the glass. At the bottom of the hourglass awaits an unforgiving world of generic and biosimilar competition. Between 2025 and 2030, the patent cliff is set to be one of the biggest since 2010 by revenue at risk, according to... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3337038/patent-cliffhanger-will-china-biotech-throw-big-pharma-lifeline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3337038/patent-cliffhanger-will-china-biotech-throw-big-pharma-lifeline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang China is gaining a solid reputation as a pharmaceutical innovation hub, shifting from a copycat drug maker to one whose infrastructure and research and development capabilities rival global pharmaceutical behemoths, according to a global consultancy. US-based SAI MedPartners and its unit Idea Pharma recently launched a new index with the aim of highlighting Chinese drug makers and recognising their shift from generics to “true” innovation. The consultancy released the China Pharmaceutical... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336851/chinas-pharmaceutical-sector-moves-big-leagues-global-innovation-powerhouse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336851/chinas-pharmaceutical-sector-moves-big-leagues-global-innovation-powerhouse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan China’s pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of enormous growth and transformation. In just a few years, it has moved on from being the world’s cheapest source of active pharmaceutical ingredients to becoming a major hub for pharmaceutical innovation – a place where new, more effective drugs are born. It is now the second-largest developer of drugs, trailing only the United States. In the global drug development pipeline, China’s growth rate is phenomenal, leaping from 3 per cent in 2013 to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334948/how-china-went-generic-drug-factory-biomedicine-innovator?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334948/how-china-went-generic-drug-factory-biomedicine-innovator?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Eric Ng,Julie Zhang Eric Ng,Julie Zhang The ferocity of China’s biopharmaceutical investment boom this year – fuelled by record-breaking licensing of commercial rights to global giants after a three-year slump – may have surprised casual observers. But according to Helen Chen, one of the most respected analysts and advisers in China’s life sciences space, the supercharged sector’s real renaissance came two years earlier. In December 2022, US drug maker MSD agreed to license global (excluding China) rights to develop and commercialise... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3331950/six-best-how-chinas-new-biotech-vanguard-banking-billions-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3331950/six-best-how-chinas-new-biotech-vanguard-banking-billions-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 03:00:14 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li Hong Kong stocks extended a rally on Tuesday as investors continued to bet on easing US-China trade tensions. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.7 per cent to 26,027.55 at the close after climbing as much as 2 per cent earlier. The Hang Seng Tech Index surged 1.3 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index gained 1.5 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 1.4 per cent. China Life jumped 6 per cent to HK$24.95, BYD Electronic rose 3.8 per cent to HK$40.22 and machine-tool maker Techtronic... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3329733/hong-kong-stock-rally-carries-investors-bet-us-china-trade-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3329733/hong-kong-stock-rally-carries-investors-bet-us-china-trade-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 02:22:27 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li Hong Kong stocks rallied on Monday, rebounding from Friday’s steepest loss since April as US-China trade tensions showed signs of easing and China reported economic growth that was largely in line with expectations. The Hang Seng Index jumped 2.4 per cent to close at 25,858.83. The Hang Seng Tech Index surged 3.1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index rose 0.5 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.7 per cent. NetEase jumped 5.2 per cent to HK$235.40, insurance giant AIA Group... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3329608/hong-kong-stocks-surge-optimism-over-us-china-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3329608/hong-kong-stocks-surge-optimism-over-us-china-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 02:16:33 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Two Chinese drug developers have signed licensing deals that could yield as much as US$2.5 billion in performance-based payments, underscoring growing international confidence in China’s life sciences sector. Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group has agreed to license global rights – excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan – to develop and market a colon cancer drug candidate to F Hoffmann-La Roche, a unit of Swiss-based biotech giant Roche. Hansoh, a major psychotropic and cancer drugs... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3329353/chinas-hansoh-and-leads-biolabs-clinch-us25-billion-global-drug-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3329353/chinas-hansoh-and-leads-biolabs-clinch-us25-billion-global-drug-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:06:08 +0000 Eric Ng,Julie Zhang Eric Ng,Julie Zhang When Zhao Hong, chief doctor of China’s leading cancer hospital at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, told his fellow delegates at a Communist Party meeting in March that a little-known Guangzhou biotech firm’s cancer drug had beaten the world’s bestselling medicine, investors took notice. “As a long-serving front-line doctor, my most profound feeling is that China is at the best time of its biopharmaceutical sector’s development,” he told state media on the sidelines of the annual Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3327701/chinas-biotech-renaissance-rising-drug-creation-prowess-attracts-global-notice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3327701/chinas-biotech-renaissance-rising-drug-creation-prowess-attracts-global-notice?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 02:00:09 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Chinese biopharmaceutical stocks have become extremely popular with investors this year amid strong policy support and a rise in licensing deals with multinational companies. A more than 100 per cent gain in the Hang Seng innovative drug index this year is an indication of the euphoria sweeping the sector. Key industry players such as Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group and WuXi Biologics, which are also members of the Hang Seng Index, have more than doubled year to date. The trade is reminiscent of the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3326143/chinese-biotech-stocks-get-shot-arm-policy-support-and-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3326143/chinese-biotech-stocks-get-shot-arm-policy-support-and-licensing-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 08:50:46 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang China’s healthcare sector is on track to secure record fundraising this year, driven by robust global investor demand and growth momentum, according to analysts. Several Chinese biopharmaceutical companies have tapped equity capital markets – mainly in Hong Kong – for initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on deals and block share placements this year. Year to date, the fundraising reached US$10.6 billion (HK$82.5 billion), more than the combined total from 2022 to 2024, according to Dealogic... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3325006/chinas-healthcare-sector-sees-record-us106-billion-fundraising-biotech-booms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3325006/chinas-healthcare-sector-sees-record-us106-billion-fundraising-biotech-booms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:25:10 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Hong Kong stocks on Wednesday reversed course to snap a four-day losing streak, spurred by comments from China’s foreign ministry that traders interpreted as a sign of potential progress in the US-China trade talks. The Hang Seng Index closed 0.2 per cent higher at 25,165.94, recovering from a loss of as much as 0.9 per cent in the morning session. The Hang Seng Tech Index was little changed. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index jumped 1.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1 per... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322438/hong-kong-stocks-fall-fifth-day-amid-us-china-tariff-fears-wall-street-sell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322438/hong-kong-stocks-fall-fifth-day-amid-us-china-tariff-fears-wall-street-sell?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 02:34:16 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, two of China’s largest drug makers, are expected to report significantly improved profits, buoyed by novel drug roll-outs and revenue from technology licensing. On August 21, Hengrui, China’s largest drug maker by market value, is expected to say its net profit for the first half rose 40 per cent from a year earlier to 4.1 billion yuan (US$570.8 million), with revenue up 9 per cent to 15.7 billion yuan, according to analysts’... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3322005/chinese-pharma-firms-hengrui-hansoh-expected-post-strong-first-half-profits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3322005/chinese-pharma-firms-hengrui-hansoh-expected-post-strong-first-half-profits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 23:30:12 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong A rally in solar and electric-vehicle (EV) makers sustained gains that sent Hong Kong stocks to the highest close in more than three and a half years, as expectations built that a high-level government meeting in China will ramp up measures to weed out excess capacity in those emerging industries. The Hang Seng Index finished at a level not seen since November 18, 2021, rising 0.3 per cent to 25,057.11 for a third day of gains. The Hang Seng Tech Index added 0.1 per cent. Xinyi Solar Holdings, a... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3319075/hong-kong-stocks-waver-investors-wait-policy-clarity-chinas-politburo-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3319075/hong-kong-stocks-waver-investors-wait-policy-clarity-chinas-politburo-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:19:33 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Investors on the mainland showed a strong appetite for Hong Kong stocks in the first half of 2025 via the southbound channel of the Stock Connect programme, putting purchases on track to reach a record that was set last year. Mainland buying of Hong Kong stocks reached HK$731.2 billion (US$93 billion) in the first half of the year, according to data from the Hong Kong bourse and Bloomberg on Monday. Last year, southbound net purchases reached HK$808 billion, a record since the programme started... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3316369/mainland-investors-track-beat-hong-kong-stock-buying-record-set-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3316369/mainland-investors-track-beat-hong-kong-stock-buying-record-set-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Hong Kong stocks dropped after a poor report card from Chinese e-commerce platform operator PDD Holdings rattled industry peers including Alibaba Group Holding, suggesting discounts to attract consumers will hurt near-term earnings outlook. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.5 per cent to 23,258.31 on Wednesday, while the Hang Seng Tech Index slipped 0.2 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index lost 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index was little changed. Alibaba Group Holding retreated 2... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3312058/hong-kong-stocks-slide-pdds-profit-slump-rattles-alibaba-e-commerce-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3312058/hong-kong-stocks-slide-pdds-profit-slump-rattles-alibaba-e-commerce-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 May 2025 02:49:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Fan Daidi, a 59-year-old chemistry professor turned billionaire entrepreneur, epitomises China’s booming chemical sciences sector. As dean of Northwest University’s chemical engineering school in Xian, Fan has amassed a fortune by commercialising innovations in collagen synthesis, catapulting her skincare enterprise Giant Biogene to a 75 billion yuan (US$10.4 billion) valuation. Fan’s ascent – from pioneering lab discoveries to leading a biomedical empire – highlights how state-backed scientific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3310565/chinese-chemists-turning-science-fortunes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3310565/chinese-chemists-turning-science-fortunes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 10:00:16 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Hong Kong stocks rose for the first time in three days on Monday, clawing back some of last week’s losses even as caution prevailed ahead of US President Donald Trump’s next round of tariffs. The Hang Seng Index closed 0.9 per cent higher at 23,905.56, following lacklustre trading for most of the day, which saw the gauge swing between an intraday high of 23,960.27 and a low of 23,533.64. The Hang Seng Tech Index climbed 1.7 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index gained 0.5 per cent and the... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3303567/hong-kong-stocks-trade-sideways-trump-tariffs-loom-meituan-sinopec-top-losers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3303567/hong-kong-stocks-trade-sideways-trump-tariffs-loom-meituan-sinopec-top-losers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Mar 2025 02:48:15 +0000 Hansoh Pharmaceuticals jumped as much as 7.2 per cent in Hong Kong after the stock was picked with three others to join the benchmark Hang Seng Index from next month, thrusting China’s sixth richest woman into the limelight. The stock traded as high as HK$16.62 before settling 3.2 per cent higher at HK$16 when trading closed on Monday, leading gains among new index members after the latest quarterly review. The increase added almost HK$3 billion (US$377 million) of market value to the group. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3189711/chinese-billionaire-behind-hansoh-pharma-enriched-hang-seng-index?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3189711/chinese-billionaire-behind-hansoh-pharma-enriched-hang-seng-index?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Aug 2022 03:33:00 +0000 Before Zhong Huijuan became a pharmaceutical self-made matriarch worth over US$18.9 billion, she was a chemistry teacher. So no wonder she’s been playfully compared to Walter White, the fictional drug kingpin and protagonist of hit TV series Breaking Bad, for her career change – although without the criminal aspect. Rather than manufacturing and pushing methamphetamines, Zhong heads up a company that develops drugs to treat a variety of health issues. It might be more appropriate to compare her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3106486/real-life-breaking-bad-without-crime-meet-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3106486/real-life-breaking-bad-without-crime-meet-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 09:53:31 +0000 Zhong Huijuan quit her job teaching chemistry to teenagers and got into the drug business. The career switch has paid off handsomely. Her Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, China’s largest maker of psychotropic drugs, is poised to go public on Friday in Hong Kong with a market value of US$10.4 billion. Zhong holds a 68 per cent stake, giving her a US$7.9 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Zhong, 58, is not even the richest person in the family. Her husband Sun Piaoyang,... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3014265/ex-chemistry-teacher-zhong-huijuan-poised-become-chinas-third?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3014265/ex-chemistry-teacher-zhong-huijuan-poised-become-chinas-third?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2019 19:56:17 +0000