REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drugs Outcomes Research and Policies
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1579037
Technological and Industrial Trends in China's Pharmaceutical Sector
Provisionally accepted
- 1Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- 2The Academy of Chinese Health Risks, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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In recent years, China's pharmaceutical industry has experienced rapid growth, positioning itself as the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market and R&D hub. However, the industry faces significant challenges due to policy shifts and the effects of a "capital winter". This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the key trends shaping the future of China's pharmaceutical sector, focusing on the impact of emerging technologies, such as precision medicine and synthetic biology, on drug development processes. It also examines changes in market demand for advanced formulations, chronic disease treatments, and rare disease drugs. Additionally, the paper explores the primary drivers and barriers to the industrial transformation from the perspectives of population aging, industrial restructuring, and internationalization. The findings suggest that technological innovation and industrial upgrading are critical to driving high-quality development in drug research and manufacturing. Achieving this requires coordinated efforts in policy optimization and corporate innovation to overcome technological barriers and promote sustainable, global growth. This study offers theoretical insights and practical recommendations for policymakers and corporate strategists in fostering long-term innovation and competitive advantage in the pharmaceutical industry.
Keywords: China's pharmaceutical industry, Technological trends, Industrial trends, IndustryTransformation, Global expansion, Leading Pharmaceutical Nation
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 02 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, He, Lu, Chen and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ju Wang, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Hongguang Wang, The Academy of Chinese Health Risks, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.