Stories of High-Quality Development | Biopharmaceuticals: From following to leading

Narrator: Liu Qingyuan, Researcher, Clinical Medical Center, Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.

As attention to quality of life grows, people are expecting better treatment options. Against this backdrop, we are leveraging the latest policies along with the research talent, resources and innovation platforms brought together by the rapid development of China's innovative pharmaceutical industry. This has allowed us to move from a combination of imitation and innovation toward a dedicated focus on innovation, and to integrate deeply into the global pharmaceutical ecosystem.

From independent R&D to international collaboration, a number of innovative drug companies are striving to complete a dual leap across geographical and scientific boundaries. They are developing innovative drugs with first-in-class and best-in-class potential to bring more breakthrough therapies to patients.

Starting with small-molecule innovative drugs that broke the import monopoly, and then rapidly entering the large-molecule and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) fields to achieve a globally leading position, we have continuously improved our capabilities throughout this transformation.

Take our ADC targeted drug HS-20093 as an example. When the project was launched, there was no established experience at home or abroad to draw upon. The diseases it targets, such as small-cell lung cancer and osteosarcoma, are difficult to treat, and patients and their families have an urgent need for new treatment options. For R&D personnel, this means that every step from drug design to clinical research requires finding answers through exploration.

Innovative drug development is not just about molecular design. To truly make it out of the laboratory and reach patients, innovative drugs also require process scale-up, clinical validation, regulatory submission and large-scale manufacturing, along with support from clinical researchers and national regulatory authorities at every stage.

The confidence to pursue global innovation is rooted in faith in the industry's development. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes targeting key areas that will lead future development, building a full-chain cultivation system for industries of the future, and fostering new economic growth drivers such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy, nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence and 6G mobile communications.

In 2025, the total value of outbound licensing deals for China's innovative drugs exceeded $130 billion, and 76 innovative drugs were approved. China's innovative drugs in the R&D pipeline accounted for 33.7 percent of the global total, and a number of originally developed drugs from domestic companies lead the world in their classes.

For future industries to take root, companies need to remain committed to innovation, and support from the industrial system is also indispensable. Over the years, we have witnessed significant changes. Supportive policies have been rolled out one after another, supporting facilities have gradually improved, and top professionals have been returning at an accelerated pace, all of which are strengthening the industrial chain. From follow-on innovation to original innovation, and from China to the world, the path is long, but the direction is clear.