China’s biopharmaceutical sector is said to have entered an “innovation 2.0” phase as it moves to a commercialisation mindset that could see it sideline global competitors and outpace the US – despite restrictive trade policies.

According to a new report on mainland Chinese biopharmaceutical innovation by analytics company Clarivate, China has matured from a phase of rapid expansion to an “innovation 2.0” phase of quality-focused development.

“This transition represents a fundamental shift in priorities: from speed to quality, from chasing market trends to building sustainable competitive advantages, and from capital-driven growth to value-driven development,” according to the report published on December 8.

Alice Zeng, one of the authors of the report and a senior consultant at Clarivate Life Sciences and Healthcare, said China’s focus in the past decade had been on how to do research and development – not what happened after a drug was approved and launched.