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China's innovative pharmaceutical sector witnessed strong momentum in the first half of 2026, with the total value of out-licensing deals for innovative drugs rising to about $110 billion, a new record high, reflecting the growing innovative capabilities of China's pharmaceutical industry and its expanding presence in global markets.

The latest data from the National Medical Products Administration showed that from January to June of this year, China concluded 81 out-licensing deals for innovative drugs worth about $110 billion, equivalent to about 80% of the total value of deals recorded in the entire year of 2025.

These deals covered ten therapeutic areas, including oncology, metabolic diseases, immunology, and neurological disorders, while the most prominent companies obtaining licenses for these drugs came from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, and other 20 countries and regions, according to the German news agency DPA.

An official at the authority noted that the number of new drugs under development in China currently accounts for about 30% of the total drugs under development globally, ranking China second in the world, while the innovation efficiency of China's pharmaceutical industry has reached advanced global levels.

This growth coincided with the activity of clinical trials for new drugs in China, as the total number of drug clinical trials exceeded 5,000 for the first time in 2025, including 2,997 trials for new drugs, accounting for 57.5% of the total.

Data showed that Chinese authorities approved the marketing of 38 first-class innovative drugs in the first half of this year, drugs that had never been marketed anywhere in the world.

Among these drugs, 11 were innovative drugs targeting new therapeutic targets or new mechanisms of action, all locally developed, compared to 2025 which saw 11 such drugs approved, only four of which were Chinese-developed, reflecting the clear rise in the level of local pharmaceutical innovation.

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