Infographic: China approves record number of innovative drugs in 2025

BEIJING — China approved a total of 76 innovative drugs for market launch in 2025, a sharp increase from 48 in 2024 and a record high, according to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

The approved products included 47 chemical drugs, 23 biologics and six traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Eighty-one percent of the chemical drugs (38 products) and 91.30 percent of the biologic products (21 products) were developed by Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

Eleven of the approved drugs were First-in-Class medicines featuring novel therapeutic mechanisms, four of which were independently developed by Chinese firms.

The NMPA also said that the total value of China's outbound innovative drug licensing transactions exceeded 130 billion USD in 2025, with more than 150 licensing deals signed, far surpassing the 51.9 billion USD across 94 deals recorded in 2024, both setting new records. China's pipeline of new drugs under development accounts for approximately 30 percent of the global total, ranking second worldwide.