Top pharma players place their stakes on Chinese market

International drug producers have had good performances in China in recent years. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer reported a robust growth in its pharmaceutical business in China, as its total sales stood at 17 billion yuan ($2.67 billion) in 2017, a year-on-year growth of 18.3 percent.

The company attributed the growth to its products and services achieved through innovation and collaboration in China, and the company is actively introducing more drugs in China.

Efforts such as accelerating introduction of anti-cancer drugs, advancing chronic disease management with a focus on prevention, and driving innovation through collaboration to explore breakthrough treatments are also on the firm’s agenda.

In December 2017, after a priority review in China, Stivarga was approved for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas, and Stivarga was the first new drug for liver cancer in China in the more than 10 years since Nexavar was approved, the company said.

Switzerland-based giant Novartis reported global net sales of $49.11 billion in 2017, a growth of 1 percent from the previous year. China witnessed growth of 13 percent in terms of the net sales, the fastest-emerging growth market.

Another Switzerland-based drug producer, Roche, reported a global sales rise of 5 percent to 53.3 billion Swiss francs ($53.19 billion) in 2017, and it said in regional terms, growth was driven by the Asia-Pacific region, which expanded 15 percent with continued strong growth in China of 21 percent.

Bayer said in 2017 it increased its global research and development (R&D) investment to nearly 4.5 billion euros ($5.34 billion). It said 64 percent of the R&D investment was in pharmaceuticals, focusing on therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including cardiovascular, oncology and gynecology treatments. At present, Bayer’s pharmaceutical pipeline is well-stocked with about 50 projects under clinical development, including many drug candidates with high potential.

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