This report focuses on the overseas expansion of Chinese innovative pharmaceutical companies, with the core aim of showcasing the rise of Chinese innovative pharma in the global market, as well as the driving factors and specific manifestations behind it. The main content is as follows:
Current Status of Overseas Expansion: China Becomes a Hotspot for MNC “Shopping Sprees”
- Transaction Scale and Position: In the past five years, the number of BD (Business Development) deals in China has grown significantly, with the total transaction amount accounting for 30% of similar global deals. In the past two years, MNCs (Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies) have conducted transactions worth nearly $80 billion in China. China has become the fastest-growing country in global BD overseas expansion, with BD deals accounting for 12.3% of the global total in 2024, ranking second worldwide.
- Collaboration Models and Asset Types: The cooperation model between MNCs and Chinese innovative pharma companies has been upgraded, shifting from pure technology export to collaborative R&D, and value distribution has evolved from fixed milestones to revenue sharing. Transaction assets have extended from Phase III clinical trials to earlier stages, with projects in Phase I clinical and before accounting for over 70% in 2024. Monoclonal antibodies remain mainstream among asset types, while bispecific antibodies and ADCs are growing rapidly. Oncology indications account for 70%, with autoimmune and endocrine metabolism emerging as new hotspots.
Advantages of Chinese Innovative Pharma: “More, Faster, Better, and Cost-Effective”
- More: The number of original innovative drugs has jumped to first in the world, reaching 3,575 by 2024; the number of innovative pharma companies ranks second globally at 1,218, with pipelines under development accounting for 29.5% of the global total; the number of pharma-related patents and publications is growing rapidly, with publications accounting for 25% and patents 14% of the global total.
- Faster: Clinical trial efficiency is high, with the average time to complete new drug clinical trials in 2023 being 78 days. The number of international multi-center clinical trials has achieved a CAGR of 13% over the past decade; speed in following hot targets is fast, such as Chinese products accounting for over 70% of ADC hot targets, and R&D duration is significantly shorter than that of MNCs.
- Better: The number of original FIC (First-in-Class) innovative drugs ranks second globally, reaching 628 from 2019 to 2024. R&D quality is high, with the probability of innovative drugs progressing from Phase I clinical to market launch being basically on par with the US, and Phase II clinical trial success rates even higher.
- Cost-Effective: The engineer dividend is obvious, with the scale being twice that of the US, but costs only 1/3 to 1/2 of the US; the industrial chain is complete, making China the world’s largest producer and exporter of APIs, and CXO (Contract Research and Manufacturing Organization) companies have global influence, such as WuXi AppTec with orders in hand reaching 49.31 billion yuan by the end of 2024.
Driving Factors
- Policy Support: Review and approval policies are continuously optimized. By 2025, the approval time for innovative drug clinical trials will be shortened from 60 days to 30 days, and clinical trials for rare disease drugs may be exempted or reduced.
- Technological Innovation: Strong AI R&D capabilities, with generative AI accelerating the entire drug R&D chain, such as virtual screening and molecular design. There are representative domestic companies such as Hua Medicine, and policies also support the establishment of innovative platforms for large pharmaceutical models.
Future Trends and Outlook
- Innovation Upgrade: Chinese innovative drugs have shifted from “Fast-Follow” to the stage of “Global FIC” and “Global BIC” (Best-in-Class), and competitiveness will further strengthen in the next 2-3 years, with blockbuster products such as Akeso’s AK112 breaking monopolies.
- Internationalization Layout: With more data readouts, the global influence of Chinese FIC drugs will continue to rise, and their position in the global innovative drug field will become increasingly important.
The report also provides a large number of specific transaction cases and data, such as the R&D duration comparison of ADC products from companies like RemeGen and Lepu Biopharma, as well as specific cooperation projects between MNCs and Chinese pharma companies, further demonstrating the strength and achievements of Chinese innovative pharma companies going global.
