China's Drug Breakthroughs: A Look at New Medicines and Their Challenges

China has been making big strides in the world of medicine. Since 2016, they've been approving new drugs at a faster pace. These drugs are called innovative because they are new and not sold anywhere else. The country's health authority, the NMPA, has been working hard to make sure these drugs get to the people who need them.

Types of New Drugs

Most of these new drugs are made in China. Out of the 167 drugs approved, more than half are small molecules, which are the most common type of drug. Biologics, which are made from living organisms, make up about a third of the new drugs. Chinese medicines, which are traditional remedies, make up the smallest group.

Cancer Treatments

Cancer treatments are the most common type of new drug. Nearly half of the new drugs are for cancer, and most of these are biologics. This is a big deal because cancer is a major health problem worldwide. However, most of these cancer drugs are approved based on surrogate endpoints, which are not the final outcomes but indicators that the drug might work.

Challenges and Solutions

The NMPA has been trying to speed up the process of getting these drugs approved. They have special programs to help, but sometimes the review process still takes longer than expected. This is a challenge because people need these drugs as soon as possible.

Chinese medicines are not getting the same level of support as other types of drugs. This is a problem because traditional medicines are an important part of China's healthcare system. The NMPA needs to find ways to support these medicines more.

The Road Ahead

The efforts of the Chinese regulator and drug companies are starting to pay off. But there is still a lot of work to be done. More investment is needed in research and development, especially for drugs that are different from what's already out there. The NMPA also needs to improve its review process to keep up with the demand.