A Chinese court decision sheds light on how Chinese major Hengrui Medicine is seeking to reduce or avoid potential losses worth up to $27m following regulatory setbacks with the tubulin inhibitor plinabulin, in-licensed from BeyondSpring in 2021.

Simcere, Hengrui, and Zai Lab are among the first Chinese pharma firms to report various forms of impact from the gathering storm of a national anti-corruption campaign launched in July in the healthcare and pharma sectors.

Sintbilo (tafolecimab) is the first among four late-stage domestically developed PCSK9 Inhibitors to win the nod from China’s drug regulator. Despite lack of public reimbursement coverage, the drug could potentially unseat same-class rivals from Amgen and Sanofi/Regeneron.

As Beijing gets tougher in an all-out campaign to root out corruption and non-compliance in the pharma sector, more physician conferences are jeopardized and an increasing number of hospital presidents are placed under investigation. Meanwhile, one industry association issues new guidance for members.