Around one quarter of active drug development now has a Chinese origin, with particular emphasis in biologics, cell therapies and cancer R&D. While the appetite for these assets among multinational pharmaceutical companies remains strong, the financing crunch that is throttling investment into start-ups is being felt particularly keenly in China. In such a landscape, domestic biotech companies will need to prioritize reliable near-term revenue streams while keeping global ambitions in mind. A domestic Amgen- or Regeneron-like success story may yet be inevitable, although steady progress is far more likely than a sudden growth spurt.
Having broken through the 20,000 mark in 2022, the global biopharma pipeline has continued to grow and now totals more than 22,000 assets under active development