https://www.scmp.com/rss/523051/feed Established in 2011, Innovent Biologics is a biotechnology company that develops, manufactures and commercialises medicine for oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases and ophthalmology. The Suzhou-headquartered company was listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange on October 31, 2018. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Shenzhen-based XtalPi posted a 615 per cent surge in first-half revenue from its drug-discovery business following a blockbuster deal that highlighted China’s growing importance as a source of biotechnology innovation for the global pharmaceutical industry. Revenue from drug discovery soared to 435 million yuan (US$61 million) in the first half after the company collected the first US$51 million from an August agreement with US-based DoveTree, according to its earnings announcement on Wednesday.... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3323467/xtalpis-615-jump-drug-revenue-highlights-chinas-biotech-boom-after-dovetree-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3323467/xtalpis-615-jump-drug-revenue-highlights-chinas-biotech-boom-after-dovetree-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:00:54 +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 Eric Ng Eric Ng Sales of weight-loss drugs in the West have soared in recent years, driven by the approval of a new class of more effective medication, the rapid growth in obese populations owing to poor diet and lack of exercise, and endorsements by celebrities and social media influencers. In China, over 60 late-stage drugs are undergoing clinical trials. In the coming years, these may compete with the products of incumbents such as Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and US-based Eli Lilly, Boston-based global... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3317624/svelteness-china-us150-billion-market-dozens-drug-producers-vying-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3317624/svelteness-china-us150-billion-market-dozens-drug-producers-vying-it?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng The global market for diabetes drugs used for treating obesity is expected to expand in Asia, as new players jostle with giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk for a share of the multibillion-dollar industry, with China providing a big opportunity for growth, analysts said. The market for weight-loss drugs could see new entrants among existing biotech firms, with several drug candidates likely to be approved for commercial sales in the next five years, according to Francis Chow Chun-chung, founding... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3310846/chinas-ozempic-may-vie-eli-lilly-novo-nordisk-global-weight-loss-drug-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3310846/chinas-ozempic-may-vie-eli-lilly-novo-nordisk-global-weight-loss-drug-market?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 04:06:42 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Chinese drug developers with product and cost advantages could emerge unscathed from US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to slash prices of medicines, bring back manufacturing jobs and potentially slap tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, analysts said. US consumers would pay no more than drug prices charged in other high-income nations, which Trump said on Sunday were 30 to 80 per cent cheaper than in the US. The move raised concerns that profits of firms across the supply chain would be... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3310017/big-china-pharma-firms-can-withstand-trump-policies-product-cost-advantages-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3310017/big-china-pharma-firms-can-withstand-trump-policies-product-cost-advantages-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 May 2025 23:30:07 +0000 Jiaxing Li Jiaxing Li Chinese biotech company Innovent Biologics is seeking to raise HK$2.4 billion (US$306 million) from a stock placement at a discount to fund research and grow its drug discovery business. The stock slumped by the most in a month. The company plans to issue 68 million new shares at HK$34.92 each, or 8.8 per cent below its last-traded price on Monday, according to a stock exchange filing on Tuesday. It hired Morgan Stanley, one of its IPO sponsors and arrangers in October 2018, to help find buyers... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3234229/innovent-biologics-lose-us332-million-market-value-hong-kong-stock-placement-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3234229/innovent-biologics-lose-us332-million-market-value-hong-kong-stock-placement-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:07:56 +0000