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Falling At The Start Line: Chinese Firms Face Multiple Commercial Challenges Beyond Price, Coverage

First-In-Class But Low Revenues

 
• By Brian Yang

Sales of a global first-in-class dermatology drug that gained its first approval in China are falling well behind those of its overseas counterpart. Brian Yang takes a deeper look into the multiple underlying factors determining success in the world's second-largest pharma market beyond pricing and reimbursement coverage, including complex hospital entry, dual channels and competition considerations. 

China NDA in 2021 sized 1200
Chinese drug makers face commercial challenges beyond pricing, coverage • Source: Shutterstock

For a Chinese domestically developed, first-in-class, topical non-steroidal treatment, and the first new drug for plaque psoriasis in 25 years, benvitimod - also known as tapinarof and WBI-1001 - encountered a surprisingly uphill battle to gain commercial success on its home turf. Meanwhile, its overseas counterpart has attracted large investment and enjoyed considerably more success.

Receiving its first approval globally from China's National Medical Products Administration in 2019, the therapeutic aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) modulating...

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Turning Defense Into Attack: Snapshots Of A Changing Medtech Market And How To Respond

 
• By Ashley Yeo

Against a backdrop of shifting trade policies, the end of multilateral market approaches and renewed focus on supply chain resilience, medtechs are doubling down on innovation in products and processes, and keeping unmet needs and outcomes in the center of the target.

UK Bets On Regulatory Innovation As Competitive Advantage In Synthetic Biology

 
• By David Wild

The UK government has prioritized synthetic biology and created a "concierge service" for biotechs just as the US cuts science funding.

Chinese Firms Build Obesity Clinical Pipeline But Face Wider Hurdles

 
• By Xu Hu

Despite the ability to initiate clinical trials quickly and having strong manufacturing capacity, Chinese companies are facing multiple challenges in the obesity space.

Unpacking The Impact Of Trump’s Tariffs On Drug Pricing And Production

 
• By Ed Silverman

Big pharma plans to invest billions of dollars in US manufacturing to avoid tariffs proposed by the Trump Administration. However, the implementation of these plans may be delayed due to regulatory complexities and rising costs from tariffs, potentially impacting drug prices for consumers.

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EU Medtech Outlook: The View From MedTech Europe Experts

 
• By Ashley Yeo

MedTech Forum 2025 was less MDR-focused than in previous years, as macro issues and exogenous threats were forced further into the center of medtech business thinking.

‘Confident In Lorundrostat’s Promise’: Mineralys CEO Talks Trials And Next Steps

 
• By Sushmita Panda

In a conversation with In Vivo, CEO Jon Congleton discusses Mineralys’s data-rich journey toward an NDA filing, the significance of recent trial wins and how its candidate may offer a dual benefit in blood pressure and renal protection.

BioBytes: Qubit Pharmaceuticals Unveils Quantum AI Model For Drug Discovery

 
• By David Wild

Qubit Pharmaceuticals and Sorbonne University launched a quantum AI model that could slash drug synthesis requirements and enable exploration of previously undruggable targets.