Following in the steps of Merck & Co. and GSK, Pfizer is turning to a Chinese partner to more broadly market one of its top vaccines in the country - but the US firm is going one step further.

In an interview with Scrip, Astellas’s India chief outlines how the Japanese company expects to build out its operations in the country, with a flurry of key launches in the wings. She also shares vignettes of her own career path, which has not been a bed of roses.

China's research-based pharma companies reported mixed third-quarter results for their anti-PD-1 antibodies, BTK and PARP inhibitors amid broader challenges including an ongoing government-led anti-corruption campaign.

Among multinationals, AstraZeneca has reported its commercial activities have been negatively impacted by China's broad anti-corruption campaign, while J&J has seen some affect from the country's volume-based procurement scheme. Roche, Lilly and Novartis have also reported some softness in the last quarter versus the previous three months.