Western pharmaceutical companies and investors are driving a record number of licensing deals with Chinese drugmakers that have insufficient capital to fund late-stage drug development and global expansion.
Merck, GSK and AstraZeneca have all signed licensing deals in a wave of biotech investment that hit a record $44.1bn last year, according to UBS research. The momentum has been sustained in 2024, with $9.8bn worth of biotech licensing deals signed in the first quarter.
Western pharma companies are seeking to expand their product pipelines as they confront patent expiries of lucrative drugs in the coming years, while Chinese drugmakers are struggling to raise funds domestically for drug development and clinical trials during a stock market slump. A Hong Kong-listed index of 50 “innovative” biotech stocks has fallen 57 per cent over the past three years.