With the need for COVID-19 related drugs, vaccines and testing kits as well as protective equipment falling from its highs, China is regaining momentum to fast-track oncology and rare disease treatments.
New Approvals In Spotlight As China Gears For National Congress
Proposed Biosecurity Law Also Gains Momentum
In a sign that attention in China may be shifting back to more routine regulatory work as the local coronavirus outbreak appears to recede, authorities have granted approvals to multiple new drugs for cancer and rare diseases, as the government gears up to hold its delayed annual congress in Beijing.

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Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.
The approval of another Novartis drug with a different mechanism means the company is further cornering multiple parts of IgAN pathogenesis.
It might be the beginning of the end for the orphan drugs party but there is still sales growth enjoyment to be had for the sector, whose star performers are now looking increasingly like mainstream drugs.
Strong sales growth for the German group’s SGLT2 inhibitor in 2024
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Recent moves in the industry include changes at the top at Novo Nordisk and Takeda, plus Nxera Pharma nabs chief commercial officer from AstraZeneca.
China’s imposed large retaliatory tariffs on US pharmaceuticals on 10 April, but some domestic firms with in-licensed, US-origin assets were already moving to localized manufacturing.
The end of semaglutide and tirzepatide shortages means large-scale compounding is declining, ICER noted. But compounded versions – and the demand for them – are likely here to stay.