Pharma companies move up the value chain

Firms ramping up innovation efforts in new sectors like high-quality drugs and biologics

As China moves forward from being the world's manufacturing powerhouse to an innovation-driven economy focusing on high-quality development, the innovation capabilities of Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been growing steadily, reflected by the rapid development of domestic biologics and innovative medicine sector, industry people said.

According to the Center for Drug Evaluation under China's National Medical Products Administration, it granted approvals for 91 drugs with priority review status in the first half of this year, among which, 65 were domestic drugs while 26 were imported.