The Top Line Making sense of China’s R&D ascent
Jul 25, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Mark Lansdell, Director at Evaluate, shares his expertise on China's rapid rise in research and development. He highlights the transformation of China’s market from generics to innovative drug development fueled by a skilled workforce and supportive policies. Lansdell also explores the increase in licensing deals between Chinese and Western companies, addressing the complexities of early-stage partnerships and the challenges of using Chinese clinical trial data globally. His insights reveal the competitive dynamics reshaping the life sciences landscape.
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Explosion Of China’s R&D Capacity
- China grew from almost no innovative drug discovery in 2012 to over 1,081 companies in preclinical-to-filed stages today.
- About 74% of those companies are in the clinic, showing rapid maturation of capabilities.
Outsourcing Laid The Foundation
- China built deep drug discovery skills through 25 years of outsourced R&D and CRO growth.
- That experience created a workforce ready to shift from services to originating their own drug candidates.
Lower Costs And Abundant Supply
- Lower labor costs and high productivity let Chinese companies develop assets more cheaply than Western peers.
- A surplus of similar assets also keeps deal prices down via simple supply-and-demand dynamics.