Faster drug approvals on the way

China will expedite approval procedures by one to two years for drugs developed overseas that are in urgent demand domestically, an official with the country's top drug regulator said on Friday.

The National Drug Administration of China will speed up approvals for drugs proved effective in fighting rare diseases as well as anticancer and anti-AIDS drugs, said Jiao Hong, head of the administration.

Jiao told a news briefing hosted by the State Council Information Office that of the 415 new drugs approved for sale in developed countries over the past 10 years, 76 have been approved for sale in China. Another 201 drugs are undergoing clinical trials in China.