Prime Highlights:
- China’s pharmaceutical industry is shifting toward high-tech manufacturing and advanced production technologies, driving growth even as traditional drug production slows.
- Exports and pharmaceutical equipment are boosting the sector, with advanced therapies and medical devices seeing strong performance.
Key Facts:
- In the first half of 2025, China’s chemical drug exports reached $11.706 billion, with Jiangsu, Shandong, and Zhejiang each exporting over $1 billion.
- Profits in pharmaceutical equipment and medical devices grew 7% and 3.4%, supporting overall industrial recovery.
Background:
China’s pharmaceutical industry is shifting, with high-tech production driving growth while traditional drug manufacturing slows.
New data from the 40th China Pharmaceutical Industry Market Information Conference at API China 2025 in Chongqing highlighted this shift. Fan Yuxi, director of the Statistics and Information Department at the China Pharmaceutical Industry Association, noted that while large-scale drug manufacturers are experiencing declining revenues and profits, equipment suppliers are leading the way in industrial profit recovery.
“Overall, the pharmaceutical industry still faces substantial downward pressure,” Fan said. Operating revenue among major pharmaceutical manufacturers reached $30.13 billion (CNY 215.209 billion), a 1.45% decrease year-on-year, while profits fell to $41.55 billion (CNY 296.8 billion), down 0.46%. Production declines were reported across multiple dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injections, and freeze-dried powders.
Pharmaceutical equipment and medical devices are growing fast. Profits in the equipment manufacturing sector increased 9.4%, while pharmaceutical equipment and medical devices posted gains of 24.7% and 3.4% respectively. Fan emphasized that this segment is becoming a stabilizing force for the broader industrial economy.
Exports are helping the industry grow, increasing faster than domestic production. China’s pharmaceutical exports are growing fast. Export delivery reached $39.15 billion (CNY 279.67 billion), up 11.47% from last year. In the first half of 2025, China exported $11.706 billion worth of chemical drugs, with Jiangsu, Shandong, and Zhejiang each exporting more than $1 billion.
Advanced medicines, like cancer and immune system drugs, are growing thanks to high-tech manufacturing. Some common drugs, like metformin, are also being made more.
Experts say this is good news for China’s pharmaceutical industry. Even though traditional drug production has challenges, new technology and automation are helping the country make better, more advanced medicines.
