Biopharmaceutical Industry Listed for First Time as National "Emerging Pillar Industry," Strategic Positioning Further Enhanced

(Source: China Business News)

Reprinted from China Business News

China Business News (Reporter Ma Jia) This year’s government work report explicitly listed biomedicine alongside integrated circuits, aerospace, and low-altitude economy as “Emerging Pillar Industries.” This is the first time the biomedicine industry has been classified as a national “Emerging Pillar Industry,” further elevating its strategic position.

Industry insiders believe that in the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the biomedicine industry has sent an important signal of “upgrading” the sector. Policy-driven, companies are shifting from “disease treatment” to “disease prevention,” innovative models are moving from “relay” to “integration,” and international expansion is transitioning from “selling products” to “building systems.”

△Image shows staff at a pharmaceutical company conducting product experiments. (File photo, provided by CNSPHOTO)

Moving Prevention of Chronic Diseases Forward

At this year’s National Two Sessions, many delegates focused on the same goal—bringing health management closer to the front lines. For example, Yu Jinming, a National People’s Congress delegate, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and director of Shandong First Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital, stated that prevention is the most effective strategy for cancer control and is widely recognized internationally. Regions that have early implementation of prevention programs have seen a “double decline” in incidence and mortality rates.

Respiratory diseases have become one of the hot topics at this year’s medical policy discussions. Several proposals focus on respiratory health for the elderly and children, calling for strengthened early prevention and the promotion of high-quality medical resources to underserved areas.

Companies are also paying attention to this issue. Deng Haoqing, President and General Manager of Kexing China, said, “We note that many proposals this year involve respiratory health prevention and treatment for children, students, and the elderly. We deeply feel the high importance society places on respiratory health and strongly advocate for early prevention, diagnosis, standardized treatment of respiratory diseases, and the sinking of high-quality medical resources.”

From early tumor screening to management of COPD, from hospitals to communities… When disease prevention is incorporated into policy, screening, diagnosis, and management systems are no longer optional but become urgent market needs to be addressed.

Stimulating Corporate Innovation

This year’s government work report emphasizes strengthening the role of enterprises as innovation主体, supporting leading technology companies to form innovation alliances, and increasing their share of major national science and technology projects. It also calls for improving pilot verification platforms, strengthening intellectual property protection in emerging fields, and accelerating the efficient transformation and application of major scientific and technological achievements.

Many delegates believe this points to the core of industrial upgrading—innovation must go beyond the laboratory.

Hao Haiping, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and president of China Pharmaceutical University, said that the current domestic innovation drug R&D ecosystem is not yet fully mature. Most companies prioritize low-risk projects when initiating research, which makes it easy to overlook truly breakthrough therapies. He suggested promoting deep integration between universities, research institutes, top-tier hospitals, and enterprises, and nationwide solicitation of innovative projects with translational potential.

A relevant person from Sinovac said that the company is changing the traditional “waiting for results to translate” model. Instead of waiting for results before considering translation, they are deeply involved from early R&D stages, paving the way for original innovation and ensuring breakthroughs are aligned with clinical and market needs from the start.

For companies, as innovation becomes more challenging and competition intensifies, those who can translate clinical needs into R&D directions earlier and convert technological breakthroughs into practical products more efficiently will gain a competitive edge.

Explosive Growth in Overseas Transactions

The global benchmark is a key indicator of industry strength. By 2025, China’s innovative drug licensing transactions abroad are expected to exceed $100 billion, with over 100 deals, setting a new record.

Facing these impressive figures, Ding Lieming, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of Betta Pharmaceuticals, acknowledged the gap: “Currently, many pharmaceutical companies still mainly rely on the domestic market. Although China is the second-largest pharmaceutical market globally, its market share is only about 10%.” He hopes China will produce world-class biomedicine innovators and truly take Chinese innovative drugs to the global stage.

Many companies are shifting from “selling products” to “building capabilities,” gradually trying to establish comprehensive global R&D, registration, and commercialization systems.

Regarding policies aligned with international standards, Zhao Hong, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chief physician at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Tumor Hospital, suggested that efforts should be made to have the National Medical Products Administration join the World Health Organization’s Listed Authorities (WLA), breaking international regulatory barriers. “If we succeed in joining WLA, drug registration that currently takes years could be shortened to a few months, allowing companies to quickly access international procurement systems. This will help China align with international standards and accelerate the transition from a ‘pharmaceutical manufacturing power’ to a ‘pharmaceutical powerhouse.’”