From malaria treatments to modern cancer therapies, discover medicines developed in China and what they could mean for your care.
Research under way in China · 2025
A growing range of treatment possibilities
Citeline 2025 country-trends analysis, counted by research location and including multinational development. This is not a count of medicines originating in China. The 2020 total was 2,590.
Pharmaceutical research in China · 2025
Investment in future treatments
Covers pharmaceutical manufacturers above the designated statistical size threshold, including innovative medicines, generics and traditional Chinese medicines. Reported expenditure was CNY 121.33 billion, converted using this site's reference exchange rate dated 2026-10-22.
Across pioneering medicines
From malaria and stroke to cancer care
Selected Chinese-developed medicines, including established innovations and newer treatments; cumulative domestic and international reach.
The published counts and thresholds below sum to 130,920,000, rounded to approximately 131 million on this page. This is a combined disclosure measure, not an industry-wide count of distinct patients.
Chinese-developed antimalarial medicine first granted a Class 1 new-drug certificate in 1987. Uses the company-reported patient figure, not the 440 million vials supplied. Formulations and brands are counted together.
Cumulative stroke-patient reach stated on the official NBP subsidiary profile. No publication date or data cutoff is given. Oral and injectable formulations are not counted separately; no overseas patient count is inferred.
Injection only; cumulative patients with acute ischemic stroke. The sublingual formulation is not added separately.
Company-reported portfolio total, covering 14 Class 1 new drugs and 2 Class 2 improved new drugs. Individual Hengrui medicines, including featured dalpiciclib, are not added again.
Cumulative treated-patient disclosure; clinical trial enrollment is not added separately.
Global use of the medicine, not only the access partnership described in the announcement.
Medicine-specific count; the larger Henlius company total, which includes biosimilars, is excluded.
Cumulative patients treated as disclosed in the 2025 results announcement. No overseas-only count is inferred.
2024 report, page 8. Patients outside China are not estimated or added.
Cumulative patient reach as disclosed in the 2025 results announcement. No overseas-only count is inferred.
Includes patients treated in trials and commercial practice. Partner reports and trial enrollment are not added again.
This compilation covers selected Chinese-developed medicines, including established innovations such as artesunate and butylphthalide as well as newer cancer therapies. It is broader than the featured medicine cards on this page and is not a census of every medicine in the catalogue or the entire industry.
The source figures are cumulative and have different reporting dates. Some are approximate and others are minimum thresholds. They include patients in China and other countries; an overseas-only total cannot be separated reliably from these disclosures.
The same person may appear in more than one medicine or company figure. These records cannot be deduplicated across sources, so their sum is not a count of unique individuals, patients cured, or patients treated in a single year.
Overlapping company and product figures are counted once: Hengrui is included at oncology-portfolio level, while BeOne is included by medicine. CARVYKTI covers both clinical and commercial use. Artesunate and butylphthalide formulations are grouped rather than added separately.
Vial shipments, manufacturing capacity, populations eligible for treatment, reimbursement claims and prevention-program coverage are excluded. For example, Fosun's malaria-prevention program and its vial shipments are not added to its artesunate patient count.
Company totals that mix innovative medicines with generics, biosimilars or licensed non-Chinese products are excluded. Medicines without a reliable cumulative patient disclosure are not assigned an estimate. The underlying figures remain company-reported rather than an independently audited industry total.
Chinese researchers and pharmaceutical companies are developing new treatments and working with international partners to make them more widely available.
The official 2025 industry overview places China second globally, with an approximately 30% share.[3]
IQVIA analysis of assets in-licensed by major pharmaceutical companies in 2025; the share was below 30% in 2024.[5]
Medicines in clinical development or awaiting approval
| Stage | China | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | 50% | 38% |
| Phase II | 31% | 44% |
| Phase III | 14% | 14% |
| Awaiting approval | 6% | 4% |
Figures 1–2 of the JPMA Office of Pharmaceutical Industry Research analysis of Citeline data. Medicines are attributed to the headquarters country of their originator and must be in Phase I–III, pre-registration or registered in at least one of the United States, Japan, Europe or China. Preclinical and marketed medicines are excluded. The report includes multiple drug types and does not correspond to China's regulatory category for innovative medicines. Percentages are rounded; China's figures total 101%.[27]
This comparison assigns clinical pipelines by originator country. The research-growth chart counts all medicines in development by research location. Their different scopes prevent direct numerical comparison. Pipeline size does not establish clinical effectiveness.
From early discoveries to clinical research
851 medicines (2015) → 7,041 (2025)
Citeline 2025 country-trends analysis, Figure 17. Counts are based on research location and include multinational development; they are not totals of medicines originating in China. The early-2025 pipeline was 2.7 times the early-2020 total and 8.3 times the early-2015 total.[24]
| Year | Medicines in development in China |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 851 |
| 2020 | 2,590 |
| 2021 | 3,295 |
| 2022 | 4,203 |
| 2023 | 5,136 |
| 2024 | 6,119 |
| 2025 | 7,041 |
Partnerships help medicines developed in China progress through international trials and reach patients in more countries.
Upfront payment: USD 500.0 million
Spanning respiratory disease, immunology, oncology and other areas
Asset shares and therapeutic-area figures come from IQVIA's analysis of 2025 transactions. Cardiovascular, renal and metabolic programs include obesity. Cross-border licensing grants development and commercialization rights in specified territories; it does not mean a candidate medicine has received approval.[5]
The GSK–Hengrui agreements include an upfront payment of USD 500.0 million. If all program options and milestone conditions are met, future milestones could total approximately USD 12.0 billion, plus royalties. Potential milestone payments are not revenue already received.[26]
Changes to drug review helped new medicines move from research toward approval.
Further reforms supported clinical trials and the development of innovative treatments.
China approved 11 medicines with new mechanisms or targets, including four developed independently in China.
Learn who these treatments are for, where they are approved and what clinical studies have shown.
BRUKINSA / Baiyueze
BeiGene / BeOne
An oral targeted treatment for certain blood cancers, developed in China and available in international markets.
Approved US uses include chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), added in 2023. The prescribing information lists all approved uses and eligibility requirements.
CARVYKTI
Legend Biotech × Janssen
A personalized cell therapy that uses a patient's own immune cells to treat certain forms of multiple myeloma.
FDA indication: Adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, and whose disease is refractory to lenalidomide.
FRUZAQLA / Elunate
HUTCHMED × Takeda
An oral targeted treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, developed by HUTCHMED and brought to international markets with Takeda.
The 2023 FDA approval covers adults with metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy and anti-VEGF therapy, among other requirements. Patients with RAS wild-type disease must also meet the corresponding prior anti-EGFR treatment criteria.
LOQTORZI / Tuoyi
Junshi Biosciences
An immunotherapy developed in China for certain cancers, with approvals in the United States and European Union for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
US approvals include first-line treatment with cisplatin and gemcitabine for adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and monotherapy for eligible patients after platinum-containing chemotherapy. EU indications are described in the linked regulatory information.
Anniko
Akeso
An immunotherapy developed in China that received US approval in 2025 for certain patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
In 2025, the FDA approved penpulimab with a platinum agent and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of adults with recurrent or metastatic non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Monotherapy was also approved for patients meeting specific prior-treatment criteria.
Airuikang
Hengrui Pharmaceuticals
A targeted breast cancer treatment used with endocrine therapy. Its approvals in China now include certain patients with early-stage disease.
In China, its June 2026 approval covers use with endocrine therapy after initial treatment for HR-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence.
This approval was supported by the Phase III DAWNA-A study and extends use from advanced disease to adjuvant treatment of early disease. The indication described here is the Chinese approval.
[12]SINTBILO
Innovent Biologics
An injectable antibody treatment that lowers LDL cholesterol in eligible adults with high cholesterol or mixed blood-fat disorders.
Used with statins and other appropriate treatment in adults with primary hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia whose LDL-C remains above target despite moderate- or higher-intensity statin therapy.
Aixinan
Hengrui Pharmaceuticals
An injectable cholesterol-lowering antibody developed in China, with extended intervals between doses for eligible adults.
Chinese approvals include eligible adults with hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia inadequately controlled with statins, as well as monotherapy in patients meeting the relevant criteria.
Chinese approval was based on the REMAIN Phase III studies, which included dosing every 4 or 8 weeks. Treatment should follow the prescribing information and individual medical assessment.
[15]Clinical results apply to the populations and treatments studied and should not be compared directly across separate trials. Approved uses may differ between countries. Treatment decisions should follow current local prescribing information and a clinician's assessment.
Meet six companies developing treatments in China and bringing their research to patients at home and abroad.
Key medicinesDalpiciclib, camrelizumab and recaticimab
Develops medicines for cancer and other conditions, with international partnerships supporting research and development beyond China.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 31.630 billion CNY. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
BeOne Medicines
Key medicinesZanubrutinib (BRUKINSA) and tislelizumab (TEVIMBRA)
Brings China-developed cancer medicines, including BRUKINSA and TEVIMBRA, to patients in China and international markets.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 5.343 billion USD. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
Key medicinesSintilimab, tafolecimab and other medicines
Develops treatments for cancer and chronic conditions, including tafolecimab, a cholesterol-lowering medicine approved in China.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 13.000 billion CNY. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
Key medicinesCiltacabtagene autoleucel (CARVYKTI)
Developed CARVYKTI with Janssen. In March 2026, the company reported that the therapy was available in 14 markets through 294 treatment centers.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 1.029 billion USD. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
Key medicinesFruquintinib, surufatinib and savolitinib
Partners with Takeda to bring fruquintinib to markets outside China, including the United States.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 0.548 billion USD. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
Key medicinesIvonescimab, cadonilimab and penpulimab
Penpulimab received US approval in 2025. Ivonescimab and cadonilimab are also part of its cancer-treatment portfolio and are approved in China.
Revenue in the original reporting currency: 3.033 billion CNY. Refer to the company's original disclosures for breakdowns in CNY.
Amounts are displayed in USD to one decimal place. CNY figures use the European Central Bank reference rate dated 2026-10-22, rather than company-reported USD figures or annual average exchange rates. Total company revenue, commercial sales and partner-reported global product sales are labeled separately.
Medical2China helps international patients and families learn about hospitals, prepare for treatment and find care coordination support.
Research and industry statistics draw on regulatory publications and original reports. Medicine profiles use approval documents and clinical studies. Financial and patient-reach information comes from company disclosures. Each statistic retains its reporting period and scope in the accompanying notes.
Explore approved uses, prescribing information and public prices to discuss with your medical team.