In the first quarter of 2026, the total amount of authorized transactions for innovative drugs in China exceeded 60 billion US dollars, accounting for nearly half of the total transaction volume of 130 billion US dollars in 2025, and the industry experienced explosive growth. With the formal inclusion of biomedicine as a new pillar industry in the country, how to promote innovative achievements from the research and development end to the front line of people's livelihood, and make high-quality new drugs affordable and accessible to the public, has become a common focus of attention for the industry and society. Industry experts suggest accelerating the synergy between medical insurance and commercial health insurance, establishing a diversified payment system, breaking down data barriers, and fully unleashing the value of innovative drugs for people's livelihoods.
The comprehensive upgrading and development logic of industrial positioning has undergone a profound transformation
The 2026 government work report for the first time designates biopharmaceuticals as an emerging pillar industry. This adjustment is not simply a statement of change, but marks a comprehensive reshaping of the development logic of the industry. Song Ruilin, Chief Expert of the China Medical Innovation Promotion Association, stated that in recent years, the country's strategic positioning for biopharmaceuticals has continued to improve, and the industry has transformed from a simple drug security field to a core sector supporting the development of the national economy.
The impressive overseas transaction data confirms the accumulation and strength of domestic pharmaceutical innovation. The scale of authorized transactions for innovative drugs continues to increase, and the trend of industry accumulation and development is significant. When interpreting the outline of the 15th Five Year Plan, Zhou Shaojie, Dean of the National Conditions Research Institute at Tsinghua University, mentioned that the outline repeatedly mentions pharmaceutical related content, highlighting the dual strategic significance of the pharmaceutical industry in both national security and livelihood protection in the international environment.
The development of local industries is also showing strong momentum. Lin Hang, Deputy District Mayor of Haidian District, Beijing, introduced that the local pharmaceutical and health industry has maintained a scale of over 100 billion yuan for four consecutive years. At present, Haidian is planning to build a 30 billion yuan fund matrix, build a credible data space for medical health, and deepen cooperation with industry institutions to help local innovative drugs participate in global competition.
