Healthcare market Photo: VCG
Several foreign drugmakers have announced debuts for their new drugs in the Chinese market since the beginning of 2025, as the Chinese government continues to push for opening-up in the healthcare sector.
On Monday, US-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced that its Balversa (erdafitinib), a kinase inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, was approved by China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
The announcement by J&J closely trailed that of other multinational pharmaceuticals releasing their new drugs in the China market in the first two weeks of 2025.
On January 2, US-based Lilly announced that its Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a dual-targeted medicine for type 2 diabetes and weight control, had been launched in China.
On January 8, US drugmaker Merck said its human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) had been approved for men in China, according to Reuters. It is the first HPV vaccine for men to be approved by China's NMPA, Reuters reported.
The series of new drug launches come as China continues to push for wider opening-up in the sector.
China on January 3 issued a guideline on deepening regulatory reforms for drugs and medical devices to promote the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical industry.
The guideline calls for the prioritization of resources for the evaluation and approval of drugs already listed in foreign markets if they are urgently needed for domestic clinical use and proposed that the domestic pharmaceutical industry expand opening-up and cooperation including supporting foreign companies to introduce production capacity to make innovative drugs and high-end medical devices in China.
In an email statement sent to the Global Times on Monday, a Lilly spokesperson said the business-friendly environment in China fosters the company's growth and the continuous enhancement of intellectual property protection further safeguards the company's innovation, "encouraging it to contribute more actively to the Chinese healthcare ecosystem."
In 2024, Lilly announced a 1.5 billion yuan ($205 million) expansion of its Suzhou manufacturing site to increase production of innovative medicines for type 2 diabetes and obesity for China and to support future pipeline molecules and the launch of a medical innovation center.
In addition to drugs, China has also encouraged foreign investors to participate in the aged-care industry aligned with the country's high-level opening-up goals and is encouraging the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in a number of recently issued policies, drawing increasing attention from foreign companies.
Perennial Holdings Private Ltd, a Singapore-based company which is preparing to open China's first wholly foreign-owned, third-grade general hospital in North China's Tianjin Municipality, said in a statement sent to the Global Times in December that the company intends to "actively pursue opportunities to further its healthcare business in China," tapping China's largely homogenous market with a vast population as the changes in demographics accentuate the need for increased integration of medical care and eldercare services.
