https://www.scmp.com/rss/520170/feed Latest news and updates on medical drug research and breakthroughs. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Julie Zhang Julie Zhang The State Council, China’s cabinet, has published guidelines on innovative drug pricing that a bank analyst has described as the “most significant” in a decade, as they aim to reward drug innovation and ease pricing tension for domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies. The framework document published this month said patented innovative drugs would be supported through value-based pricing, while the prices of generic drugs would be driven down through market competition and... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350956/multinational-pharmaceutical-companies-benefit-new-china-guidelines-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350956/multinational-pharmaceutical-companies-benefit-new-china-guidelines-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:09 +0000 Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan As Asia grappled with the impact of the Iran war, a major pharmaceutical milestone quietly made the headlines. On March 20, the patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, expired in several countries, crucially India and China – two countries renowned for their production of generic drugs, which are drugs with the same active ingredient as the branded original but typically sold at much lower prices. Ozempic, first approved in 2017 by the US Food... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349193/asias-flood-cheap-ozempic-generics-opens-gates-weight-loss-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349193/asias-flood-cheap-ozempic-generics-opens-gates-weight-loss-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren The cross-border outlicensing activities of Chinese biotech firms reached a record transaction value of US$60 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven by multinational pharmaceutical companies’ growing appetite for the country’s promising drug candidates. The deal value represented a 73 per cent jump from the same period a year earlier, and accounted for nearly half of the total US$135.7 billion worth of agreements signed throughout 2025, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348295/china-biotech-deals-hit-record-innovative-drugs-draw-interest-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348295/china-biotech-deals-hit-record-innovative-drugs-draw-interest-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:26:21 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences agreed to buy Ouro Medicines, which is developing an antibody-based medicine for autoimmune diseases licensed from China’s Keymed Biosciences, in a deal worth up to US$2.18 billion. Gilead Sciences is among a group of global drug makers facing patent expirations and turning to mergers, acquisitions and licensing deals to refill their drug pipelines. Under the agreement, Gilead Sciences would pay shareholders of US-based Ouro Medicines US$1.675 billion... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347693/rights-antibody-drug-chinas-keymed-change-hands-gilead-acquisition-ouro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347693/rights-antibody-drug-chinas-keymed-change-hands-gilead-acquisition-ouro?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:51:07 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang China’s Harbour BioMed has struck a deal worth more than US$1.2 billion with a clinical-stage biotechnology company to develop and commercialise an antibody outside China, as the country’s novel drug makers increasingly secure not only upfront licensing fees but also long-term international partnerships. The Shanghai-based company announced a licence and equity agreement on Monday with Solstice Oncology, a firm established by a syndicate of venture capital investors, for the exclusive... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3344311/wave-chinese-biotech-deals-builds-harbour-biomed-solstice-sign-us12-billion-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3344311/wave-chinese-biotech-deals-builds-harbour-biomed-solstice-sign-us12-billion-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 07:15:13 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun AstraZeneca’s former China head has been formally charged with medical insurance fraud, illegal trading and unlawful collection of personal information, more than a year after he first came under investigation – casting a shadow over the Swedish-British drug maker’s expansion in its second-largest market. The pharmaceutical giant confirmed to the Financial Times and Reuters that Leon Wang was one of two individuals indicted, as referenced in its latest earnings report published on Tuesday. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343522/china-charges-former-astrazeneca-executive-what-it-means-global-pharmaceutical-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343522/china-charges-former-astrazeneca-executive-what-it-means-global-pharmaceutical-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu A drug for diabetes-related kidney disease could be repurposed to restore fertility for women affected by premature ovarian insufficiency, a largely untreatable condition, according to a study by Hong Kong researchers. The study, conducted by experts at the faculty of medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), found that finerenone – a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes-related chronic kidney disease – could be used to awaken dormant small follicles in women and promote the development of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3342937/repurposed-kidney-drug-may-offer-hope-infertile-women-hong-kong-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3342937/repurposed-kidney-drug-may-offer-hope-infertile-women-hong-kong-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:18:51 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters Online retailers and a Hong Kong pharmacy are offering slimming injections without prescriptions despite local authorities requiring a doctor’s approval before purchase, a Post investigation has found, with an expert warning it could lead to misuse. Weight-loss injections, which have been approved by Hong Kong authorities for use, have become increasingly popular around the world and work by targeting hormones, reducing appetite and slowing down food digestion. In Hong Kong, such products are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3341117/no-prescription-no-problem-hong-kongs-grey-zone-weight-loss-injections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3341117/no-prescription-no-problem-hong-kongs-grey-zone-weight-loss-injections?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:08:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters Many patients using highly effective GLP-1 drugs may not regain lost weight quickly when they stop treatment, ‌according to an analysis of real-world data that sheds light on a chief concern about the therapies. Among thousands of patients treated at a ‍large network of academic medical clinics in the United States, most had kept the weight off or lost even more 18 months after stopping semaglutide, sold by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide, sold by Eli Lilly as Mounjaro and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3340941/stopping-glp-1-drugs-ozempic-often-does-not-mean-weight-regain-us-research-suggests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3340941/stopping-glp-1-drugs-ozempic-often-does-not-mean-weight-regain-us-research-suggests?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:15:07 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren China’s pharmaceutical industry, whose revenue is projected to rise by 50 per cent between 2024 and 2030, has emerged as a new growth engine for the national economy as leading players ramp up investment in research and production. The country’s drug and medical device businesses were forecast to top US$2.1 trillion in revenue by 2030 and US$3.2 trillion annually by 2050, according to estimates by UBS. In 2024, the sector generated about US$1.4 trillion in sales. “An ageing population offers the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340333/chinas-drug-and-medical-device-sector-emerges-new-engine-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340333/chinas-drug-and-medical-device-sector-emerges-new-engine-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:00:27 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang A partnership between China’s SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Monday has revived hopes for treating Alzheimer’s disease, which affects some 55 million people worldwide and could cost the global economy US$2.8 trillion by 2030. The deal, worth nearly US$1.7 billion, grants Novartis exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise SciNeuro’s antibody candidates to develop drugs for the progressive brain disease. SciNeuro’s novel amyloid beta targeted... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3339691/chinas-scineuro-novartis-sign-us17-billion-licensing-deal-develop-alzheimers-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3339691/chinas-scineuro-novartis-sign-us17-billion-licensing-deal-develop-alzheimers-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:11:08 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Irina Zhou’s five-year-old cat has gained about a kilogram every year for the past three years. She knows the extra weight puts her pet at risk of obesity-related diseases and could even shorten his life. “My parents just can’t bear to see the cat go hungry,” the 29-year-old Zhou said. “If the weight starts to affect his health, I might consider trying weight-loss medicines for him.” The idea of using obesity drugs for pets drew public attention after Fosun Pharma’s unit Yao Pharma signed a... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338820/meow-or-never-chinas-pudgy-pets-spark-race-weight-loss-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338820/meow-or-never-chinas-pudgy-pets-spark-race-weight-loss-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:30:10 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Hangzhou-based biotech start-up MindRank has progressed to Phase 3 clinical trials for its weight-loss drug, making it China’s first artificial intelligence-assisted Category 1 new drug to reach this stage. MindRank announced last month that it had initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial in China for MDR-001, a small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonists designed with the help of AI. GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic natural hormones to regulate blood sugar and appetite. According to Niu Zhangming, MindRank’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338618/mindrank-phase-3-trial-chinas-first-ai-assisted-new-drug-cutting-rd-costs-60?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338618/mindrank-phase-3-trial-chinas-first-ai-assisted-new-drug-cutting-rd-costs-60?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:00:16 +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 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung Genomic sequencing has helped Hong Kong identify the right treatments for cancer patients more quickly, according to an expert who also suggested that the city could be a “super-linker” between mainland China and the rest of the world in drug development. Aya El Helali, a clinician-scientist in medical oncology at the University of Hong Kong, praised how collaboration within the Greater Bay Area had opened up opportunities to run clinical trials faster and at lower costs – factors that appealed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3337799/genomic-sequencing-puts-hong-kong-forefront-cancer-care-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3337799/genomic-sequencing-puts-hong-kong-forefront-cancer-care-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A foodie, social butterfly and New Yorker for 20 years, Lina Axmacher has loved exploring the city’s famed restaurant culture for a long time. Then she started the GLP-1 weight-loss drug semaglutide. She lost her appetite – “my desire for cocktails and desserts and anything sweet” – and more than 9kg in less than two months. “I still wanted to maintain my social lifestyle, and I still wanted to be included in dinners,” she said. One of her favourite restaurants, Manhattan’s Le Petit Village,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3337490/weight-loss-drugs-reduce-appetites-us-restaurants-cut-portion-sizes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3337490/weight-loss-drugs-reduce-appetites-us-restaurants-cut-portion-sizes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The US Food and Drug Administration’s approval handed drug maker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity pill. Lilly’s oral drug, orforglipron, was still under review. Both pills are GLP-1 drugs that work like widely used injectables to mimic a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337435/no-need-needles-us-approves-wegovy-pill-weight-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337435/no-need-needles-us-approves-wegovy-pill-weight-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 04:55:15 +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 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng In an attempt to solve the global fertility crisis, Chinese scientists have developed a balm for testicles they say can boost sperm activity. The lotion they developed for external application significantly enhanced sperm quality in both animal trials and in vitro studies, regardless of whether the decline in function was caused by exposure to heavy metals, plasticisers, heat stress or natural ageing, the researchers said. The findings of the study, conducted by researchers from several domestic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:31:34 +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 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Fosun Pharmaceutical, a leading healthcare group, has taken a substantial step towards introducing particle therapy systems to hospitals in mainland China, aligning with Beijing’s efforts to make advanced medical treatment accessible to cancer patients across the country. The Shanghai-based company, a subsidiary of China’s non-state-owned conglomerate Fosun International, formed a partnership with Leo Cancer Care on Thursday, pledging to distribute the UK firm’s Marie medical facilities in the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3331824/fosun-brings-uk-particle-therapy-mainland-china-push-advanced-cancer-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3331824/fosun-brings-uk-particle-therapy-mainland-china-push-advanced-cancer-care?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 23:30:16 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a fast-growing next-generation cancer treatment, have become an investment hotspot due to its potential to become mainstream globally, according to biopharmaceutical industry insiders. To achieve sustainable growth and maximise revenue potential, companies should pursue differentiated product development and a global clinical strategy, according to Duality Biotherapeutics, which organised a biotech forum in Shanghai last week. The Shanghai-based company – which... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3330377/china-biotech-forum-bills-antibody-cancer-drugs-next-generation-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3330377/china-biotech-forum-bills-antibody-cancer-drugs-next-generation-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Shares of Chinese drug firm Akeso – likened by some Western media outlets to artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek – rose after the company unveiled clinical-trial data showing that its lung-cancer drug outperformed a highly effective existing treatment. The data showed that ivonescimab had “a decisive and strong positive outcome with both significant and clinically meaningful benefits”, Akeso said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The drug, used along with... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3329639/chinas-akeso-dubbed-biotechs-deepseek-gets-share-boost-cancer-drug-trial-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3329639/chinas-akeso-dubbed-biotechs-deepseek-gets-share-boost-cancer-drug-trial-data?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:00:12 +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 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal CK Life Sciences International is set to merge its subsidiary Polynoma with Nasdaq-listed TransCode Therapeutics, in a move expected to boost the pipeline of anticancer drugs, according to the biotech unit controlled by the Li Ka-shing family. The agreement paved the way for TransCode to acquire the parent company of Polynoma from DEFJ, an indirect wholly owned unit of CK Life, the latter said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange after trading hours on Wednesday. In exchange, TransCode... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328295/ck-life-unit-merges-transcode-li-ka-shing-firm-eyes-anticancer-drugs-pipeline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328295/ck-life-unit-merges-transcode-li-ka-shing-firm-eyes-anticancer-drugs-pipeline?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 01:45:19 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Focused ultrasound (FUS) therapy, a sound wave treatment technology that counts Hong Kong’s tycoon Li Ka-shing among its backers, has reached an “inflection” point after 1 million patients worldwide adopted it as an alternative to surgery, radiation, drugs and other therapies, said the doctor who pioneered its use. One million patients had undergone FUS therapy since the technology was introduced six decades ago, including around 175,000 cases that involved liver tumours, according to data... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328093/li-ka-shing-backed-focused-ultrasound-therapy-reaches-tipping-point-1-million-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328093/li-ka-shing-backed-focused-ultrasound-therapy-reaches-tipping-point-1-million-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li The Chinese pharmaceutical sector has significantly outperformed the broader market this year, driven by strong sales growth and a rapid increase in income from licensing drugs to international partners, according to HSBC. The H-share innovative drug index has risen 107 per cent so far, compared with a 30 per cent gain in the broader Hang Seng Index. Meanwhile, the A-share pharmaceutical index was up 23 per cent, versus a 16 per cent increase in the CSI 300 index, according to a report published... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3328097/chinas-pharmaceutical-sector-surges-amid-robust-growth-sales-and-licensing-income?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3328097/chinas-pharmaceutical-sector-surges-amid-robust-growth-sales-and-licensing-income?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 06:02:52 +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 Eric Ng Eric Ng Eleven Chinese healthcare and biotechnology companies filed applications to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange in the last two days of September, taking advantage of an ongoing investment boom in the sector. The best-known names among them are online healthcare services firm We Doctor Holdings, Sichuan Biokin Pharmaceutical – known for a US$8.4 billion licensing deal with US-based Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) – and profitable cancer-drug developer Betta Pharmaceuticals. Other initial public... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3327632/chinese-healthcare-biotech-firms-flock-hong-kong-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3327632/chinese-healthcare-biotech-firms-flock-hong-kong-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 08:30:13 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s up to US$7.3 billion acquisition of next-generation weight loss drugs developer Metsera will encourage more research spending on innovative products in China but is unlikely to draw new players into the fray, according to analysts. The acquisition of the US company, together with other deals by global pharmaceutical firms, would encourage companies already developing obesity drugs – including those in China – to continue their investments, said the... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326774/pfizers-metsera-acquisition-spur-chinese-search-next-generation-weight-loss-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326774/pfizers-metsera-acquisition-spur-chinese-search-next-generation-weight-loss-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Shares in Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, China’s largest drug maker by market value, got a boost on Thursday after it announced its fifth licensing deal of the year, widening its access to the key emerging market of India. The Shanghai-listed company, which went public in Hong Kong in May and raised HK$9.9 billion (US$1.26 billion), struck a deal with Glenmark Specialty of Mumbai-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, it said in a stock exchange filing late on Wednesday. The agreement was part of an... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326777/chinas-hengrui-gets-boost-fifth-drug-licensing-deal-year-adds-india-partner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326777/chinas-hengrui-gets-boost-fifth-drug-licensing-deal-year-adds-india-partner?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 04:48:31 +0000 Yanzhong Huang Yanzhong Huang Last month, I joined a US think tank delegation to China, participating in a round table at a top university in Beijing. A remark by a leading professor of diplomacy struck me: “If China and the US can’t cooperate on health issues, they can’t cooperate on others.” His words underscore the dire state of bilateral relations. Even during peak Cold War tensions, public health challenges such as polio and smallpox transcended geopolitical rivalries and forged unlikely alliances. Yet between 2017 and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3326268/why-us-china-health-and-drugs-cooperation-must-top-trump-xi-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3326268/why-us-china-health-and-drugs-cooperation-must-top-trump-xi-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Beijing’s new rules for state-led bulk tendering of medical drugs are the latest example of its “anti-involution” drive to combat cutthroat competition, a move analysts said would favour more established players. “The centralised bulk procurement rules optimisation is a sign that the National Healthcare Security Administration is proactively pushing Beijing’s anti-involution agenda within the pharmaceutical sector as part of efforts to bolster domestic consumption,” Guotai Haitong Securities’... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326408/beijing-tackles-drug-price-wars-new-tendering-rules-anti-involution-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3326408/beijing-tackles-drug-price-wars-new-tendering-rules-anti-involution-push?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Biotech firm Ascletis Pharma said ASC47, its muscle-preserving weight loss drug candidate, could boost the efficacy of the popular anti-obesity medication semaglutide by 56.2 per cent, as Chinese drug makers eye a growing share of this lucrative market. That finding came from a trial that Ascletis conducted in the US for 28 participants with obesity, which aimed to assess the drug candidate’s safety and ideal dose, according to the company’s statement on Monday. The treatment duration was four... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3326379/ascletis-pharma-trial-shows-drug-candidate-asc47-boosts-weight-loss-effect-semaglutide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3326379/ascletis-pharma-trial-shows-drug-candidate-asc47-boosts-weight-loss-effect-semaglutide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:00:16 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Shanghai Henlius Biotech is in talks with multinational pharmaceutical firms including Johnson & Johnson and Roche Holding about selling them the rights to an experimental cancer drug, people familiar with the matter said. An agreement could fetch the subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical at least several hundred million dollars up front and then more in milestone payments down the road based on the drug’s performance, the people said. They asked not to be identified because the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3325717/fosuns-henlius-talks-johnson-johnson-roche-cancer-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3325717/fosuns-henlius-talks-johnson-johnson-roche-cancer-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:30:50 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li In the summer of 2015, a time when China’s pharmaceutical market was in a phase of rapid expansion, a sudden regulatory change sent tremors through the industry: drug companies would need to audit the clinical trial data for all pending applications. If withdrawn within a month of the announcement, firms could avoid penalties for submitting flawed applications, but hiding or falsifying data would court severe punishments, including multi-year filing bans. The response from the industry indicated... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324487/chinas-biotech-industry-gaining-us-can-tariffs-hold-them-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324487/chinas-biotech-industry-gaining-us-can-tariffs-hold-them-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Chinese pharmaceutical companies are beginning to challenge Western giants in the weight-loss drugs market, fuelled by domestic demand from the world’s largest population of overweight and obese people. More than 60 late-stage weight-loss drug candidates are undergoing clinical trials in China, according to Boston-based L.E.K. Consulting, creating potential competition for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for treating type 2 diabetes) and Eli Lilly’s... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324006/china-goes-big-weight-loss-drugs-novo-eli-lilly-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324006/china-goes-big-weight-loss-drugs-novo-eli-lilly-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 06:02:15 +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 Haining Gao Haining Gao – https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320952/china-cash-biomedicines-patent-cliff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320952/china-cash-biomedicines-patent-cliff?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:02:50 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Shares of Shenzhen-based AI-powered drug researcher XTalPi jumped as much as 23 per cent after it signed a US$6 billion deal with a firm founded by a Harvard University chemist with a reputation as a serial biotech entrepreneur. DoveTree, established by professor Gregory Verdine, signed a definitive collaboration agreement in late June with XTalPi, the Chinese company said in a filing with Hong Kong’s bourse on Tuesday. Harvard describes Verdine as a “pioneer in chemical biology and a... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320904/chinas-ai-powered-drug-firm-xtalpi-surges-us6-billion-deal-harvard-entrepreneur?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320904/chinas-ai-powered-drug-firm-xtalpi-surges-us6-billion-deal-harvard-entrepreneur?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 04:35:21 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng A pair of Hong Kong-listed mainland Chinese biotechnology firms are poised to turn a profit this year as their revenue from novel drugs finally outstrips costs related to research and development and marketing, according to analysts. “Chinese biotechs have matured significantly and are creating value for Chinese patients and government payers,” said Tony Ren, head of Asia healthcare research at Macquarie Capital, in a report on July 16. “[Some will] likely turn profitable soon and no longer rely... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320623/innovent-beone-are-poised-profits-2025-milestone-chinese-biotech-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320623/innovent-beone-are-poised-profits-2025-milestone-chinese-biotech-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 02:19:01 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Wuxi AppTec, Asia’s largest provider of contract pharmaceutical research, has raised HK$7.70 billion (US$981 million) through a sale of additional shares in Hong Kong as it rides the wave of bullish appetite for Chinese biotechnology shares. The Shanghai-based company sold 73.8 million new shares to institutional investors at HK$104.27 each, a 6.9 per cent discount to the previous day’s closing price of HK$112 on Wednesday, it said in a filing to Hong Kong’s bourse on Thursday. The stock fell... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320237/wuxi-apptec-raises-us981-mn-hong-kong-offer-amid-growing-appetite-chinese-biotech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3320237/wuxi-apptec-raises-us981-mn-hong-kong-offer-amid-growing-appetite-chinese-biotech?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 04:44:09 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will potentially pay a Chinese company US$12.5 billion for exclusive global rights to develop a dozen drugs, in a landmark deal that underscores how China’s research labs are snapping up market share in the global pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. The deal would give GSK the rights to develop a drug for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) called HRS-9821, as well as 11 of the preclinical programmes owned by Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3319793/gsk-signs-us125-bn-licence-deal-hengrui-china-rises-global-pharmaceuticals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3319793/gsk-signs-us125-bn-licence-deal-hengrui-china-rises-global-pharmaceuticals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 04:19:45 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Pfizer and 3SBio have completed a licensing agreement that grants the US pharmaceutical giant worldwide rights to sell the Hong Kong-listed firm’s cancer drug, marking the largest deal ever for a single drug in China’s biotech industry. First announced in May, the deal will see 3SBio – based in Shenyang, capital of northeastern Liaoning province – receive a US$1.25 billion upfront payment from Pfizer for the exclusive right to sell its cancer drug, SSGJ-707, outside China. Under the terms of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3319601/pfizer-chinese-biotech-firm-3sbio-complete-worldwide-licensing-deal-cancer-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3319601/pfizer-chinese-biotech-firm-3sbio-complete-worldwide-licensing-deal-cancer-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:10:32 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Beijing’s move to simplify the process for approving oral proprietary Chinese medicine (PCM) from Hong Kong to be sold across the border has created new opportunities for firms in the city to exploit the mainland’s 450 billion yuan (US$62.8 billion) market, according to Hong Kong’s trade promotion body. The streamlined procedures have opened a more convenient channel for Hong Kong companies to expand into the mainland, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a report published on... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3319483/hong-kong-firms-eye-proprietary-chinese-medicine-opportunities-mainland-hktdc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3319483/hong-kong-firms-eye-proprietary-chinese-medicine-opportunities-mainland-hktdc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:30:15 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is making inroads in the race for innovative pharmaceuticals, with a record number of drug approvals this year amid growing appeals for multinational giants to run onshore research entities. Authorities approved 43 innovative drugs in the first half of 2025, marking a 59 per cent year-on-year increase and nearly matching the total of 48 approvals for all of last year, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday, citing data from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Many of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319431/china-approving-innovative-drugs-record-pace-discovery-momentum-shifts-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319431/china-approving-innovative-drugs-record-pace-discovery-momentum-shifts-west?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:00:11 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Beijing’s plan to publish China’s first list of innovative drugs eligible for coverage by commercial health insurance will draw keen interest from pharmaceutical companies, but is not a “magic wand”, as insurers lack sufficient incentives to provide the coverage, analysts said. The National Healthcare Security Administration, in charge of the state-run basic healthcare insurance scheme, said in a policy document on July 1 that it would publish the list this year, primarily including drugs that... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318950/chinas-plan-boost-drug-coverage-commercial-insurers-no-magic-wand-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318950/chinas-plan-boost-drug-coverage-commercial-insurers-no-magic-wand-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:30:09 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Innovent Biologics, the first Chinese company to win regulatory approval to sell a GLP-1 drug for weight loss and diabetes, will leverage JD Health’s online distribution network as it seeks to grab a slice of a market that could be worth 40 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) in a decade. The companies will collaborate on supply chain and sales channel development ahead of Innovent’s launch of mazdutide, as well as engage in a consumer education campaign. “Innovent and JD Health will join hands to... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318242/chinas-ozempic-pioneer-inks-deal-jd-health-online-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318242/chinas-ozempic-pioneer-inks-deal-jd-health-online-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:30:07 +0000